House Republicans questioned Buttigieg on how Americans struggling to pay $5 per gallon for gas could afford to purchase an electric vehicle. Rather, the issue is that the policy comes from Democrats. My sense of manhood is not connected to whether or not my vehicle is fueled by gasoline or whether its fueled by electricity., It was a strange thing to say, he added. In the first half of 2022, automakers announced a record $82.1 billion in investment for EV manufacturing in the U.S, according to research from Atlas Public Policy, which studies the industry. It is possible, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA): "When the prices of competing fuels rise relative to the price of natural gas, switching from those fuels to natural gas may increase natural gas demand and prices.". Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. have announced they are opening new plants in the U.S. One other reason I feel good about my car is that I live in Michigan and it was built at GMs Hamtramck plant, which is, . like Pete Buttigieg want to emasculate the way we drive and force all of you to rely on electric vehicles, Greene said. To put it another way: Government support of EVs is already creating new jobs in some pretty conservative parts of the country, and its likely to create many more in the future. A former small-town mayor and 2020 presidential candidate has a vision. ", Buttigieg emphasized, "Of course no, no, thats what you heard me say. As every day Americans face record gas prices and surging inflation, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg suggested they should simply shell out tens of thousands of dollars for a new car. An internal Department of Transportation (DOT) watchdog said on Monday that it would conduct an audit of Secretary Pete Buttigieg's use of Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) taxpayer-funded jets for official trips, in addition to his predecessor's travel, Elaine Chao. Photo by Sam VarnHagen. By suggesting Americans should solve their money issues by just spending more money, Harris and Buttigieg showed just how out of touch this administration is with its constituents. However, the lower-cost models, such as the ones mentioned by Buttigieg, offer a comparably more affordable option for some drivers looking to make the switch. Buttigieg noted that some electric vehicles can actually reverse-charge and act like a generator. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg tried to convince Congress that he needs electric car subsidies for electric vehicles to help people like you and me at the pump: "The more pain we are all experiencing from the high price of gas, the more benefit there is for those who can access electric vehicle," Buttigieg said. One quote of his was picked up by numerous critics, including conservatives, who accused him of being out of touch. "Pete Buttigieg says if we don't like gas prices, we should change vehicles," claimed one post, shared thousands of times across Facebook and Instagram. Copyright 2023 The Western Journal. Amid high gas prices, Pete Buttigieg slammed for telling Americans to switch to electric cars Gabriel Hays 7/16/2022 Critics heaped scorn upon a clip showing Department of Transportation. Buttigieg also on Tuesday defended the administrations goal of having half of all vehicles on the market be electric by 2030, as Republicans questioned whether the countrys energy grid could handle the transition. The IRS allows for an electric drive motor vehicle credit right now. The former South Bend mayor and other members of the Biden administration have frequently touted electric vehicles as a solution to higher gas prices. We are bringing EV costs down and the number of jobs in EV manufacturing up at the same time. "The more pain we are all experiencing from the high price of gas, the more benefit there is for those who can access electric vehicles," Buttigieg told the House Transportation Committee. Heres how. Country star Morgan Wallen continues to beat the cancel culture. And I think we're going to have a lot to be proud of when we look at how America ultimately leads the way into this EV future.". Some leftists have attempted to exonerate Biden by blaming the increase in gas prices on Russia. Sec. All rights reserved. Maybe the most visible symbol is the resurrection of the old, towering and long-abandoned Michigan Central Station in Detroit that had become a widely seen symbol of the citys decline. To sum up: The more pain Americans are experiencing, the better it is for our agenda, added Rep. Dan Bishop (R-NC). Perry told Buttigieg that drivers in his district are paying about 80% more for gasoline than they were before President Joe Bidens inauguration, when fuel prices stood at just $2.39 per gallon, according to AAA. "Electricity in the U.S." U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/electricity/electricity-in-the-us.php. The exchange came Tuesday when Buttigieg appeared before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to testify about the administrations progress in implementing the bipartisan infrastructure law. The battery capacity is typically enough to cover our daily driving, which means we can recharge it fully overnight and, as a result, go weeks, or sometimes months, without putting in gas. If we add yesterdays grid with tomorrows cars, its not going to work., Buttigieg went on to claim that work has already begun to bolster the grid to support more electric vehicles and claimed the Energy and Transportation Departments were meeting to map out some of the needs., You actually use the word need. You could say want as well, Massie said. Biden is responsible for both inflation and Americas foreign oil dependence, and those are the two factors contributing most to rising gas prices. Photo by Sam VarnHagen. released in August. In most cases, fossil fuels still power electric vehicles. Policy firm Energy Innovation summarized the incentives as follows: $12,500 max incentive per passenger vehicle, combining: She said the benefits of bills like the infrastructure law and Inflation Reduction Act are starting to be seen. (That's because the Biden administration refuses to expand U.S. fossil fuel production). News, Politics, Culture, and more in realtime. "Do you think we'd be ready to do that?" According to the Kelley Blue Book number cited by Perry, the average cost of an electric vehicle stands at $56,437 roughly $10,000 more than the industry average. In an appearance Tuesday on Fox News, host Neil Cavuto asked Buttigieg what he thought of the comment. That puts it below the average consumer price of the Nissan Leaf, which was previously the cheapest electric vehicle on the market. ", Businessman and BurnRate CEO Robert McLaws made several crucial points in response to Buttigiegs clip, tweeting, "1) Imagine Texas grid problems if they went 100% electric vehicles. The Late Show with Stephen Colbert / YouTube screen shot. When it was her turn to speak, she decided to take a swipe at Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and the Biden administrations efforts to support the purchase of electric vehicles. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg stunned a Republican member of Congress Tuesday by asking him to help subsidize electric vehicle purchases while millions of Americans struggle to fill. "It would take four times as much electricity to charge the average households cars as the average household uses on air conditioning," Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., told Buttigieg at another point in the hearing. Families that own an electric vehicle won't ever have to worry about gasoline prices, Buttigieg told MSNBC in an interview Sunday. https://www.aaa.com/autorepair/articles/true-cost-of-ev. During a speech on March 7, Buttigieg said Americans should simply stop worrying about gas prices and buy an electric car. Buttigieg then reiterated that the "pain" at the pump could be offset by using an electric vehicle. All rights reserved. Buttigieg responded: First of all, I want to be clear, nobody I know, certainly not me, thinks that all, or even most Americans, can easily afford electric vehicles.. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. Buttigieg sat down with WMBD's Matt Sheehan for a one-on-one interview on the future of electric vehicles, and a new program the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has launched to try to . WILL BIDENS HIGH-STAKES VISIT TO SAUDI ARABIA SECURE LOWER GAS PRICES AND DETER IRAN? "But we can't afford to drag our feet. The House Passed Bidens Massive Social Safety Net and Climate Bill. These provisions are designed to reach more people, including those with low- to moderate-incomes, bolster domestic manufacturing, and support widespread EV adoption. Therefore, gasoline prices probably wouldn't directly affect the price of electricity to the extent claimed by some critics. For Americans angry at Bidens energy policies which critics claimed seem to have followed through on his campaign promise to get Americans off fossil fuels Buttigiegs statements added insult to injury. Your different political beliefs. In an interview with MSNBC on Nov. 28, Buttigieg said that families that buy electric vehicles (EVs) "never have to worry about gas prices again.". Accessed 30 Nov. 2021. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. The Legislature approved, and Kelly signed into law, the creation of a new economic incentive program APEX to lure the company which was also considering a plant site in Oklahoma. ", Buttigieg continued, "Now were actually starting to see on some models, the cost come to where, even if your car payments a little higher, your gas payment will be a little lower and you come out ahead.". Our society is sick.. I know you want me to say it so bad but honestly, sir, what were saying is we could have no pain at all by making EVs cheaper for everyone.". By Josephine Harvey Oct 4, 2022, 08:44 PM EDT | Updated Oct 5, 2022 I think it's fair to say that even you have implied that [consumers] should buy an electric vehicle and absolve themselves of that cost, Perry told Buttigieg. Nancy Pelosi said on "Morning Joe" on Tuesday that high gas prices were mostly due to the war in Ukraine. HuffPost's top politics stories, straight to your inbox. The part of the quote that jumped out at me and, I bet, jumped out at you too is the word emasculate. Buttigieg is gay and the word choice, almost certainly deliberate, sounds a lot like an attempt to question his masculinity or attack his sexuality. The official Twitter account of the Republican Party seized on Buttigiegs statements, writing, "Dont forget, with the Biden administration the pain is the point. I happen to know a lot about EVs because I drive one. Market data provided by Factset. To them, the only problem is you. "Do you think this reminds folks that we're not ready, or the EVs are not ready for prime time?" They said although the overall costs are more, "electric vehicles are lower in individual categories such as fuel and maintenance." The only rival, really, was the 2015 Volt it replaced when its lease ran out. The U.S. electric vehicle market is expected to grow from $28 billion in 2021 to $137 billion in 2028, according to a Fortune Business Insights report published last July. 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Ford bought the property a few years ago and is now almost finished with a complete restoration project that will turn the building and its surrounding structures into a campus Ford says will be the headquarters of its electric (and automated) vehicle division. The, , the spending bill that Biden signed over the summer, included new tax credits for people who purchase EVs as well as businesses that open up charging stations. "We also know that we ought to be prepared. If Americans are putting less gas in their cars, then there will be less demand for oil which, in turn, should mean less dependence on the foreign countries that supply it. Gas cans are portable; electric charging stations are not.). Democrats want to force Americans to rely on China to drive, Greene tweeted back in February. Buttigieg's message to drivers is well-timed. " Democrats like Pete Buttigieg want to emasculate the way we drive and force all of you to rely on electric vehicles," Greene said. And it offered Buttigieg, a Biden cabinet official and former Democratic presidential candidate, a chance to trumpet the administrations achievements in a conservative state where President Joe Biden lost to former President Donald Trump 56% to 42% in 2020. Read our editorial standards. U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/electricity/prices-and-factors-affecting-prices.php. . Greene has a long history of such comments, as, HuffPosts Josephine Harvey noted this week, that mom and dad have been replaced by Chasten and Pete Buttigieg and their designer babies. - $4,000 base for qualified EVs And its not just Michigan where EVs have potential to create jobs or anchor growth. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg schooled Fox News host Bret Baier on electric cars over the weekend.During an interview on Fox News Sunday, Baier asked Buttigieg why Tesla CEO Elon Musk . In addition, they require the use of raw materials like cobalt and lithium for their batteries that could lead to a greater dependence on Russia and China for imported materials. U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg speaks to the news media during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S., November 8, 2021. There are all sorts of. And while it is also possible in the future for EVs to result in a higher demand for electricity, which could cause prices to rise, presently there are not enough EVs being used to affect electricity prices. We've received your submission. I literally dont even understand what that means, Buttigieg replied. Former President Donald Trump had the country on the way to energy independence, but as soon as Biden assumed office, he took detrimental action and canceled the Keystone XL pipeline. Buttigieg: Families Who Buy Electric Vehicles Never Have to Worry about Gas Prices Again. The Hill, 29 Nov. 2021, https://thehill.com/dem-lawmakers/583325-buttigieg-electric-vehicle-owners-never-have-to-worry-about-gas-prices-again. The Panasonic plant will produce lithium ion batteries. Completing this poll entitles you to The Western Journal news updates free of charge. All Rights Reserved. Legal Statement. "I think thats what I heard you say. U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Monday hailed the massive Panasonic battery plant planned for De Soto as part of a wave of industrial production centered on electric vehicles that is spurring an American renaissance in manufacturing. By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. It tweeted, "Biden Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg brags about how high gas prices are forcing people to electric vehicles. The MRC is a research and education organization operating under Section 501(c)(3) of the Accessed 30 Nov. 2021. In November 2021, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg generated controversy by saying that using electric vehicles would allay concerns families have over rising gas prices. In response, Mr Buttigieg argued that "nobody I know, certainly not me, thinks that all or even most Americans can easily afford. Buttigieg recently told hip hop radio show BigBoyTV that Americans could cut back on gas spending by buying electric vehicles. However, this argument not only ignores the fact that prices were already rising, but also ignores Bidens own hand in making the U.S. dependent on countries like Russia for oil. Story tips can be sent to lindsay.kornick@fox.com and on Twitter: @lmkornick. Ford bought the property a few years ago and is now almost finished with a. But a major goal of the Inflation Reduction Act incentives is to bring battery production into the U.S., by limiting tax credits for EV purchases to only those vehicles whose parts come largely from the U.S. and whose final assembly took place in North America. Altogether, the project is receiving more than $1 billion in local and state incentives. Yeah, thats what I heard you say, the lawmaker insisted. REUTERS/Leah Millis. Just looking at Kelley Blue Book, the price of an EV is about $55,000, he added. And yet thats also where the opposition to EVs becomes a little mystifying, because its not at all hard to think of reasons that conservatives even the Trump-loving kind ought to be excited about EVs. The only rival, really, was the 2015 Volt it replaced when its lease ran out. Part of the incentives policy is not new, the 2019 study noted: In all states of the U.S. buyers of [EVs] receive a federal tax credit of up to $7,500 when they purchase an eligible vehicle.. 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