[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 186 (Thursday, November 9, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S5439]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                          Biden Administration

  Mr. President, now, on another matter, for 3 years, the Biden 
administration's radical climate agenda has laid siege to affordable 
American energy and American consumer choice: slashed development of 
abundant domestic energy reserves, soaring prices for gas and heating 
oil, and a thicket of new regulations from unelected bureaucrats--from 
construction permitting to home appliances.
  As the President's policies made life harder for working Americans, 
the Democrats took the administration's green obsession on the road. 
Special Climate Envoy John Kerry went to China hoping to treat climate 
goals as a ``free standing'' issue from our major strategic 
competition. Not surprisingly, the PRC saw things differently, and 
Chairman Xi stated publicly that China had no plans--none--to stop 
increasing its carbon emissions for at least another 7 years.
  Meanwhile, the Governor of California took his own trip to Beijing 
and pledged to PRC officials that ``regardless of what happens 
nationally, sub-nationally, you have a partner in California.''
  Well, they sure do. In fact, the supply chains for some of our 
coastal liberals' favorite green fashions, like electric vehicles, run 
directly through China. Close to 75 percent of lithium batteries, as 
well as 70 percent of our cathodes and anodes required to produce these 
batteries, come from China. The PRC holds more than 50 percent of the 
processing and refining capacity for critical minerals like cobalt.
  By all relevant measures, the United States lags dangerously behind; 
but earlier this year, the Biden administration decided to make 
bringing these critical supply chains home even more difficult by 
waiving ``Buy American'' requirements for the materials used to make 
electric vehicle chargers.
  Apparently, the administration is so desperate to force its radical 
climate agenda that it is willing to enrich America's single biggest 
strategic adversary to get there. Washington Democrats so badly want to 
force working Americans to drive blue States' millionaires' favorite 
electric cars that they are willing to cut communist China in on the 
profits.
  Fortunately, the Senate had an opportunity yesterday to set things 
straight. Thanks to the leadership of Senator Rubio, a bipartisan 
majority voted to block the Biden administration's waiver policy using 
the Congressional Review Act. Apparently, the President's radical 
climate agenda is too radical for several Members of his own party. 
Hopefully, he will listen to them soon.