A collection of Democrats has ditched the Democratic Party and Team Biden and decided to side with the Republicans instead when it came to voting on the Biden Administration’s attempted decision to nix “Buy America” requirements for electric vehicle charging stations built with taxpayer dollars. Many on the right argued that the attempted Biden Administration policy would have helped China.
In the vote on the policy, two Democrats defected to the right in a resolution demanding the Biden Administration reverse the policy. Those were Reps. Jared Golden of Maine and Donald Davis of North Carolina, and they helped pass the resolution in a 209-198 House vote. They helped counter the Republican defections of Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Tom McClintock of California, who sided with the Democrats.
House Republican Chair Elise Stefanik, commenting on the Biden rule, said, “I voted to overturn Joe Biden’s pro-Communist China rule that would undermine American businesses that have made significant investments into EV manufacturing.” She continued, “Biden’s waiver of the Buy America requirements empower our foreign adversaries like Communist China by pouring hard-earned American taxpayer dollars into foreign markets.”
Then, defending the Buy America provision, she said, “Joe Biden and his America Last agenda would sooner invest taxpayer money into Communist Chinese EV chargers than American-made products. The Buy America provision is meant to support American businesses and bolster U.S. manufacturers, neither of which this pro-Communist China Administration is interested in.”
From the Senate, which also voted against the Biden Agenda, Sen. Marco Rubio said, “The Republican-led House continues taking common-sense steps to protect Americans and American ingenuity. There is absolutely no sane reason to funnel taxpayer dollars to Chinese companies.”
Continuing, Sen. Rubio said, “If the Biden Administration wants to spend billions of taxpayer dollars to buy electric vehicle charging stations, it should only benefit American workers and industries. President Biden should act in the interest of the American people, follow the bipartisan wishes of Congress, and stop favoring foreign industry.”
Voting in favor of the resolution in the Senate were Democrat Sens. Sherrod Brown, Joe Manchin, and Jon Tester. Further, Arizona’s Independent Senator, Kyrsten Sinema, joined Republicans. Because both houses of the legislature have passed it, the resolution will now head to Biden’s desk, where the White House has said Biden will veto it.
Characterizing its EV charging station plan as pro-Buy America in February of 2023, the Biden Administration said, “The Build America, Buy America implementation plan for EV charging equipment reflects the success of the Biden-Harris Administration at spurring new domestic investments in the manufacture of EV fast-charging equipment. The rapidly-expanding industry is ramping up production to make high-quality, Buy America compliant chargers, creating good jobs and helping the Unites States strengthen its leadership in clean energy manufacturing. That strategy will ensure that electric vehicle chargers purchased through the NEVI program will be assembled in the United States, effective immediately, and fully compliant with Build America, Buy America requirements for manufactured products by July 1, 2024 to support investments in the supply chain consistent with an aggressive expansion of domestic manufacturing.”
It continued, “Today’s announcement is a tool to promote domestic production. The Build America, Buy America requirements for EV charging equipment will help revitalize our manufacturing base. The phased approach to these requirements will incentivize companies to invest in domestic production of EV charging components, positioning U.S. workers and businesses to compete and lead globally while providing a transition period for companies to onshore their supply chains. In order to meet the requirements of the Build America, Buy America Act, domestic manufacturing is ramping up aggressively. The Office of Management and Budget’s new Made in America Office is working with agency experts, labor and industry to implement industrial strategy by incentivizing greater U.S. manufacturing in key sectors.”
