Trump signs funding extension, urging Congress to codify right-to-repair legislation
President Donald Trump extended federal highway funding through Dec. 11, giving lawmakers a narrow window to pass a right-to-repair bill that would force automakers to share diagnostic tools with independent shops.
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump signed a temporary funding bill that pushes the deadline for federal highway and transit program authority to Dec. 11, buying Congress a few months to address the right-to-repair issue. Independent auto shops claim a loss of nearly a third of their work due to automakers refusing to provide necessary diagnostic data, with some shops, like a TikTok-famous mechanic named JJ, shutting down entirely.
A survey by the Auto Care Association found that lack of tool access costs shops billions annually, while farmers face similar hurdles with John Deere equipment, prompting an FTC settlement that forces the company to share repair tools. Trump’s June memorandum asked the EPA to clarify permissible driver repairs and streamline aftermarket part approvals. Lawmakers are urged to incorporate the bipartisan Motor Vehicle Modernization Act, already cleared by the House Energy and Commerce Committee, into the surface-transportation reauthorization before the Dec. 11 deadline.
Why it matters
The deadline determines whether independent repair shops can regain access to essential tools, affecting jobs and consumer costs.
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