WASHINGTON, D.C. — As he prepares to take office, car-dealer-turned-Senator-elect Bernie Moreno is embracing his roots in the auto industry, aiming to become the “car czar” of the Senate.

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

“The United States Senate makes certain that the Senate leadership and your colleagues see that you add value there. I think, for example, on the automotive industry issues, I think I'm pretty well-versed on those, certainly compared to my peers,” Moreno said. “So I think we'll carve that niche out.”

Moreno’s agenda for the auto industry mirrors that of President-elect Donald Trump, who has criticized an emissions rule the EPA finalized in March intended to lower greenhouse gas emissions by passenger vehicles by nearly half by 2032. The rule would eventually force the industry to switch to EVs in order to comply with the emissions standards.

Moreno supports freezing current emissions standards for at least a decade, as well as ending a tax credit of up to $7,500 to buy a new EV.

“[We must] make sure we get rid of these heavy mandates, EV incentives, get one federal standard for emissions that doesn’t allow California to have their own, and allow the auto industry to flourish,” Moreno told Spectrum News.

Having moved to the U.S. at age 5, Moreno also said he wants to focus on immigration. He is lobbying for a seat on the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, where he said he would prioritize securing the border to reduce undocumented crossings and deporting undocumented people already in the U.S.

“If it’s feasible to get 13 million people into the country, it’s feasible to get 13 million people out of the country. Now we’re going to sequence it the right way,” Moreno said. “We’re going to get rid of the criminals. There are lots of those, probably over a million… You gotta’ remember, though, we do accept a million legal immigrants in this country. What we don’t want to do is punish the people who are waiting in line because people jumped in front of them.”

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

Because Sen. JD Vance is vacating his Senate seat to become vice president, it remains unknown who will represent Ohio alongside Moreno. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has said he plans to name a replacement before Vance resigns, so there will be no gap in representation.