U.S. Senator Joe Manchin may be a registered Democrat. However, he's certainly not a signatory to all Democratic ideals. Manchin isn't afraid to use the BS card with anyone, no matter what side of the fence they're on. As Pete Buttigieg continues to push the idea of electric cars, Manchin has a few suggestions for the Democratic Secretary of Transportation.
This Biden Administration is encouraging people to buy electric vehicles (EVs) as a way to save the earth. With gas prices rising, the push is stronger than ever before. It's absurd that liberals continue to push for outrageously high tax credits to help switch to electric. Manchin said his concern is that President Biden is focusing too much on incentives instead of dealing with the real issues, which are crucial national mineral and battery supply-chain problems.
When the Senate Appropriations Committee met with Buttigieg, the Secretary of Transportation, he engaged in a lot of finger-pointing. He spoke about the way China has the majority of the world's illicit mining and refining markets. This means it could benefit from its leverage over that of the United States for a number of geopolitical motives. It's feasible and an additional reason for us to not increase tariffs on Chinese-made products. However, that's a different matter.
Manchin identified the most important problem: There's a waiting list for electric vehicles as fuel prices are at $4.50 per gallon and even higher in the U.S. “It does not make sense to me at all when I consider demand and supply are in conflict–how come we don't have the ability to make the product to the people who would like it, but we still have to pay for them to buy it? It's absurd to my eyes. But I'm convinced that we're being caught in a scenario where [it] isn't going to be able [to] supply all the items required for this particular product.”
It's a relief to see that Manchin is among the financially responsible Democrats who are part of the Senate. Manchin also posed a lot of crucial arguments to Buttigieg. He had an important question for Buttigieg: Does the Department of Transportation share his worries about EV credits and supply chains?
Buttigieg danced around on the subject and tried his best to be an actor for the Biden Administration. He spoke about how it's a “great example” of manufacturing capacity and that there's a possibility to expand it in the future on American soil. However, nothing is being accomplished on American soil when the Chinese do the work for us and at a lower cost.
Buttigieg said that the department has “a sense of enormous urgency to accelerate not just the uptake of electric vehicles, but, as you note, their production and our productive capacity for them.”
There was no mention of the EV credit, which is among the most significant issues facing Manchin with the entire plan. The excessive EV credit is a major component of the Build Back Better program that Biden is trying to revive.
If you've ever tried to purchase an electric car, you're aware that it's not something that will be available immediately. For certain top models, you could wait for as long as 18 months. For instance, if you're interested in a Tesla Model Y right now, you won't see it in your driveway until 2023.
If Biden is successful through his Build Back Better Act, taxpayers may be eligible for tax credits of up to $12,500 when buying an electric vehicle with American batteries. If there's a waiting list, why is it necessary to restructure tax credits? It's evident that Americans are purchasing EVs regardless of the Build Back Better program.
It's another case of overspending and failure to pay attention to the issues.
