I must admit, I am glad to see at least one Democratic Senator be a thorn in the side of his/her party….at least once in a while.
As the Biden administration pushes “green energy” everything, West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin is questioning the need to extend electric vehicle tax credits in the face of strong consumer demand and Chinese production of battery components.
Senator Joe Manchin, who is a crucial vote in the evenly divided Senate, raised concerns about the tax credit at a Senate hearing with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.”There’s a waiting list for EVs right now with the fuel price at $4. But they still want us to throw $5,000 or $7,000 or $12,000 credit to buy electric vehicles. It makes no sense to me whatsoever,” Manchin said. “When we can’t produce enough product for the people that want it and we’re still going to pay them to take it — it’s absolutely ludicrous in my mind.Automakers are investing tens of billions of dollars to ramp up EV production and some fear the window is closing for Congress to extend EV tax credits given Republicans may retake control of one or both houses of Congress next year.
The West Virginia senator suggests the money would be better spent elsewhere.
Manchin added that the money put toward expanding the EV tax credit program should be funneled to other sources, like research into hydrogen powertrains. Manchin is a member of the West Virginia Hydrogen Hub Coalition, which welcomed Speaker of the House Roger Hanshaw, President of the Senate Craig Blair, Senate Minority Leader Stephen Baldwin, and House Minority Leader Doug Skaff to the group yesterday.Manchin has been openly critical of a full transition to EVs in the past and has openly criticized the “advantages” of an all-EV future.
Part of the incentive package was directed at having the units made in union shops.
Last year, many Democrats in Congress and President Joe Biden proposed boosting EV tax credits to up to $12,500 — including a $4,500 incentive for union-made, U.S. assembled vehicles.Manchin — whose state is home to a major non-union Toyota Motor Corp. engine and transmission plant — earlier opposed the union-only incentive.
Despite the common sense on issue, Manchin is poised to support policies based on the inane “climate crisis” hysteria that has been pushed for years. He is joined in this plan….by Republicans.
Senator Joe Manchin and other lawmakers are weighing a border adjustment tax that would slap a levy on imports of carbon-intensive goods from countries with weaker climate policies as they work on a potential bipartisan energy and climate package.The concept, which also has drawn interest from the Biden administration, would place tariffs on fossil fuels and products such as cement and steel to prod countries that are moving too slowly to cut their greenhouse gas emissions. Manchin said he is promoting a North American zone that includes Canada and Mexico.“This is not a carbon tax,” Senator Bill Cassidy, a Republican from Louisiana, said after emerging from a closed-door meeting with Manchin and other senators from both parties who are working on the plan. “I’ve spoken to Republicans who are very interested in this.”
Still, it is heartening to see at least one member of Congress reading a bill before signing it.
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