Trump Claims ‘Right To Repair’ Victory That Really Just Tries To Defang CARB

President Trump has signed a memorandum that has been reported as a major win for the Right to Repair movement. However, upon closer examination, it appears that the memorandum is actually an attempt to undermine the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) process of certifying aftermarket emissions-compliant parts.

The memo, titled ‘Lowering the Cost of Living by Promoting the Freedom to Fix,’ claims that the Biden Administration’s environmental regulatory burdens have caused the average cost of vehicles to increase, but this is disputed. The memorandum argues that the CARB certification process is faulty and backlogged, taking over a year to obtain certification, and that this process hands over federal compliance to the state of California.

The memo proposes that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provide guidance on the freedom to fix and encourage the submission of requests from organizations capable of testing aftermarket parts for conformance with the Clean Air Act. While this may seem like a positive step for the Right to Repair movement, it is actually an attempt to reduce reliance on CARB’s certification process and undermine the state’s stricter emission standards.

CARB has been making its own emission rules for decades, which are more strict than the Clean Air Act, and a number of states follow California’s lead on stricter emission standards. The memorandum contains three major provisions, including providing guidance on the freedom to fix and encouraging the submission of requests from organizations capable of testing aftermarket parts.

However, it is unclear how this will actually help the Right to Repair movement, and some argue that it may even lead to more restrictive regulations.