Oregon legislature concerned over Trump’s executive orders

SALEM Ore. (KPTV) – Oregon’s legislative session officially kicked off Tuesday, one day after the inauguration of President Donald Trump.

Throughout the state capitol, there were conversations about how decisions made in Washington D.C. could impact state government in Salem.

On day one, President Donald Trump signed nearly 50 executive orders. With so many to review, it will take a few days to see which are enforceable and which will face legal challenges.

But one executive order dealing with electric vehicles caught the attention of Oregon’s Joint Transportation Committee’s Co-Vice Chair.

The executive order is called “Unleashing American Energy.” It rolls back multiple executive orders from the Biden administration addressing climate change and clean energy, but it was specifically written to “Eliminate the electric vehicle (EV) mandate.”

“As soon as I heard it yesterday I reached out to our legislative council to see how that is going to apply to what DEQ has done in this state,” Representative Shelly Boshart Davis said.

Rep. Boshart Davis has served on the Joint Transportation Committee for several years. She opposed the “Advanced Clean Cars II” rule, which was passed in 2021. That rule requires auto manufacturers in Oregon to make all new passenger cars “Battery electric or plug-in hybrid EVs” by 2035. Rep. Boshart Davis hopes Trump’s order might end that rule.

“Those can only exist because they rely on an EPA waiver and if the waivers get rescinded will that apply in states like Oregon, Washington, California New York,” Rep. Boshart Davis said, “But that remains to be seen, we are less than 24 hours into it, but it does put question marks on things that were passed in this state.”

But democratic leaders said these orders might not lead to major changes, pointing out challenges the Oregon legislature has faced before.

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“In his first administration, the first Trump presidency we took action when there were rollbacks on clean water or clean air regulations and we said we would like to keep those regulations in place here in Oregon. We also codified Roe v. Wade,” Oregon Speaker of the House Julie Fahey said.

While the state legislature has challenged executive orders coming from the Trump Administration in the past, Speaker Fahey said other executive orders will have to be challenged through the courts instead.

“I would specifically point to the executive order of birthright citizenship which is likely unconstitutional and I was glad to see the Attorney General Rayfield join on to the lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of that order,” Speaker Fahey said.

While the executive orders coming down from the white house may impact future legislation here in Oregon, both Rep. Boshart Davis and Speaker Fahey said the main goal of the 2025 legislative session will be to tackle the cost of living in Oregon.

“I think top of mind for house Republicans and Oregonians is affordability in this state,” Rep. Boshart Davis said.

“We have heard loud and clear that those issues are driving what they want the government to be working on making housing more affordable, health care, utilities, there will be a number of big-ticket items like that the legislature will take up action this year,” Speaker Fahey said

All of President Trump’s executive orders are still very new and their impact is unclear. But there are some aspects that Oregon’s House Republicans are standing firmly behind, while House Democrats plan to challenge their legality.

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