Staff Reports
In a recent vote, the House gave the final thumbs-up to a resolution that aims to reverse a Biden administration rule that gave electric vehicle chargers a pass on Buy America requirements. The resolution, which has fierce bipartisan battle lines drawn, passed with a vote of 209-198, with some surprising breakaways from party ranks. Democratic Reps. Jared Golden of Maine and Donald Davis of North Carolina sided with Republicans, while Republican Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Tom McClintock of California voted with the Democrats.
House Joins Senate in Voting to Strike Down Biden's 'Pro-Communist' EV Charger Rule via @WestJournalism https://t.co/rMyu6juqPN
— Rita Lubinski (@Dukemeister2022) January 12, 2024
The Senate previously approved a similar resolution in a tight 50-48 vote, with Democratic Sens. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Jon Tester of Montana crossing party lines to support the resolution authored by Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida. Additionally, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona joined the chorus in favor of the resolution, despite her Democrat background.
Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York minced no words, slamming the Biden administration rule as a “gift to China” in a vocal critique, emphasizing her stance that the waiver of Buy America requirements strengthens American adversaries, particularly China. Stefanik didn’t hold back, calling out the Biden administration for prioritizing foreign interests over American companies and manufacturers and dubbing it the “pro-Communist China Administration.”
The White House has promised to veto the resolution, but doing so would require a two-thirds majority in both the House and Senate, a tough hill to climb given the bipartisan support for the resolution.
At the heart of the matter is a waiver from Buy America rules for electric vehicle chargers funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. While the Biden administration argued that the wavier would expedite the growth of electric vehicle sales, resolution supporters contended that it would undermine American businesses by redirecting funds to foreign markets, notably China.
Missouri Republican Rep. Sam Graves, chair of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, went head-to-head, asserting that the waiver undercuts domestic investments and runs the risk of bolstering foreign nations, placing emphasis on the need for the administration to comply with Buy America requirements.
The resolution’s primary architect, Sen. Marco Rubio, laid out the crux of the issue, emphasizing the importance of taxpayer dollars being channeled towards American-made products and American labor for infrastructure projects in the U.S. Rubio, along with other supporters, believes that such a move would fortify the economy and national security.
Supporters remained unwavering, rejecting the argument that the waiver is necessary for expedited charger installation, citing concerns of solidifying foreign control over the country’s energy future. Republican Rep. Erin Houchin of Indiana sounded off, lambasting the administration’s push for green energy and clean cars as potentially locking China into a position of power over America’s energy sector.
