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Bernie Moreno wants to be the Senate’s “car czar.”

WASHINGTON, DC – As he prepares to take office, auto dealer-turned-Senator-elect Bernie Moreno is embracing his automotive roots and aiming to become the Senate’s “car czar.”


What you need to know

  • Senator-elect Bernie Moreno, who once owned a luxury car dealership empire, said automotive issues were among his top priorities in office
  • Moreno is also focused on immigration and is pushing to be placed on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
  • With control of the White House, Senate and House of Representatives, Republicans will have an easier time passing legislation

Moreno will be the first senator to have worked as a car salesman. Over the course of his career, he built a luxury car dealership empire before entering politics. Moreno says his experience gives him a good starting point to specialize in automotive topics.

“The United States Senate is making sure that Senate leadership and your colleagues see that you are adding value there. “I think I’m pretty knowledgeable about automotive issues, for example, certainly compared to my colleagues,” Moreno said. “So I think we’re going to capture that niche.”

Moreno’s auto industry agenda mirrors that of President-elect Donald Trump, who has criticized an emissions rule passed by the EPA in March that aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions from passenger vehicles by nearly half by 2032. The rule would ultimately force the industry to switch to electric vehicles to comply with emissions standards.

Moreno supports freezing current emissions standards for at least a decade and ending a tax credit of up to $7,500 for the purchase of a new electric vehicle.

“(We need to) make sure we get rid of these strict regulations and incentives for electric vehicles, establish a federal emissions standard that doesn’t allow California to have its own, and ensure that the automotive industry thrives,” Moreno told Spectrum News .

After moving to the United States at age five, Moreno also said he wanted to focus on immigration. He is campaigning for a seat on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, where he said he would prioritize securing the border, curbing undocumented border crossings and deporting undocumented people already in the United States reduce

“If it is possible to bring 13 million people into the country, it is possible to bring 13 million people out of the country. Now we will determine the correct procedure,” said Moreno. “We will get rid of the criminals. There are many of them, probably over a million… But you have to remember that we host a million legal immigrants in this country. What we don’t want to do is punish people who are waiting in line because someone jumped in front of them.”

Moreno will have more power to pass legislation on these issues because Republicans in the new Congress will control the White House, Senate and House of Representatives.

As Sen. JD Vance vacates his Senate seat to become vice president, it is not yet known who will represent Ohio alongside Moreno. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said he plans to name a replacement before Vance resigns so there won’t be a gap in representation.

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