NEW: Trump, Congress BLOCK California's EV mandate

On Thursday, President Donald Trump signed a joint resolution passed by Congress last month that blocks California from implementing a ban on new gas-powered vehicles by the year 2035.

The joint resolution was signed by the president after a number of remarks he made at a signing ceremony, per the New York Times. As he spoke to a crowd in the East Room of the White House, Trump said that the plan from California would have been a "disaster" that would "effectively abolish the internal combustion engine, which most people prefer."

In addition to blocking the EV mandate from California, it blocks the state from mandating that all new trucks sold in the state be electric by 2025. Another measure in the joint resolution halts the California government from putting limits on emissions of nitrogen oxide emitted from cars and trucks.