Columns
Blaine’s Bulletin: Pumping the Brakes on Biden's Free Market Tampering
Washington,
December 8, 2023
Have you ever bought something because everyone said you had to have it? Then, once you try it, you wonder what all the fuss was about? President Biden has staked much of his presidency and next campaign on the hype of electrical vehicles (EVs). Not surprisingly, he’s spent a lot of time trying to prop up the industry and force consumer demand when it fails to meet his expectations. Under his direction, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed extremely aggressive standards to box out non-EVs by 2032, effectively stripping decision-making control from consumers. In the House of Representatives, we just passed the CARS Act, which blocks the EPA’s standards and prevents it from proposing more bad ideas on the subject. Some people like EVs. Some people like combustion engines. Others ride bikes. All of them should be able to use their preferred mode of transportation. This shouldn’t be hard, but the White House insists on tinkering with the free markets, trying to bend them to fit a progressive agenda. The president says it’s all about green energy, but our electric grid relies on resources he’s trying to ban. What happens if you go to plug in your car but no one is shoveling coal to provide the power? Or, let’s say everyone immediately switches to EVs but our already-strained grid can’t keep up and goes dark. I support a broad umbrella of American-made technologies and energy sources. As long as our investments aren’t funneling right to companies under control of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), I welcome healthy competition between automakers. Unfortunately, many of the rare earth metals required to power electric motors come directly from China. As we work to remove regulations and open mining here at home, why rush into handing the CCP dominating influence over our top mode of transportation? President Biden needs to pump the breaks on his aggressive plan to replace everyone’s vehicles with electric models. Nearly 4,000 American car dealers called on him to do as much, citing that many of their customers want control of their decision-making and don’t need EVs shoved down their throat. You can’t blame someone for not wanting to drive an EV. They’re more expensive than gas-powered cars and come with 80% more maintenance issues. In rural areas, they’re also less reliable. Missouri has gas stations all along its highways and interstates. Most of the 3rd District doesn’t have any EV charging stations, and the ones we have are around St. Louis or other metro areas. A driver traveling from Owensville to Wellsville won’t see a single charging station on their trip. In 2021, the Biden administration demanded $7.5 billion to install public chargers across the country. As of today, they’ve built zero. Ironically, private companies have been the ones providing a place for drivers to plug in. So far, the government has supplemented automakers’ profits with a hefty tax break for patronizing their business. These companies advertise the credit like a coupon on their websites. They get a nice payday, and the president gets to pretend his plan is working. With plenty of press across major media outlets and ads in the Super Bowl, the president doesn’t need to be an EV cheerleader. I don’t know if it’s hubris or lack of awareness throughout the administration, but there’s simply no place for the White House in this equation. Our economy relies on consumers making decisions and businesses meeting demands— It’s called capitalism! I urge President Biden to take the hint and stop trying to tamper with the auto industry.
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