Trellis Group · April 1, 2026
Key Takeaways:
- GM’s $20-million 2025 lobbying blitz helped overturn federal and state-level rules on vehicle emissions and fuel efficiency.
- The company described the patchwork of rules as impossible to comply with.
- Repeal of the regulations further diminished the company’s chances of hitting key sustainability goals.
Early in 2025, a team of six lobbyists working for General Motors visited congressional offices and government agencies across Washington, D.C. Such work is routine for large companies, but GM’s budget was not: the Detroit-based automaker would eventually spend a total of $20 million on lobbying in that year, more than almost any other U.S. company.
Exactly whom the lobbyists met is not public, but among the subjects listed in the company’s disclosures was the Transportation Freedom Act, a bill designed to take a sledgehammer to the regulatory pillars upholding the transition to electric vehicles. When the bill was introduced a year ago March, GM provided supporting quotes.
On the face of it, this looks odd. GM has set ambitious emissions targets and pledged to shift to an all-EV lineup by 2035. Those commitments were already endangered by flagging EV sales. To stand any chance of hitting its goals, the company needed the pro-EV regulation. Why, then, would GM seek to kill it?
To answer that question, Trellis examined GM’s lobbying disclosures and spoke with sustainability veterans familiar with private-sector attempts to shape government policy. What emerged is a case study on the role of lobbying strategy when immediate business goals conflict with longer-term sustainability commitments, and the options GM had for closing the gap between the two. The story also raises a second question: What happens when company lobbying helps threaten the future of an entire industry?
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