[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 114 (Wednesday, July 10, 2024)]
[House]
[Page H4543]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           BUREAUCRATIC WASTE

  (Mr. LaMALFA asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, so far Congress has provided $7.5 billion 
for electric vehicle charging stations via the so-called infrastructure 
bill.
  Mr. Speaker, $5 billion of that money is allocated to individual 
States to build a network of fast chargers along major highways in the 
National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program.
  This outpouring of funds, the intense focus of the Department of 
Transportation and the Biden administration has only managed to finish 
seven of these stations in only four States.
  Investment seems to be the term used on this topic to get around the 
fact that nothing is getting done and an incredible amount of taxpayer 
money is being spent.
  There is a consistent pattern of electric vehicle charging stations 
being exempted also from the Buy America provisions that were expanded 
in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
  We are buying these components from China because most are not 
sourced from U.S. manufacturing because we are in a big hurry, it 
seems, to not actually build them.
  This is a pathetic and embarrassing show of bureaucratic waste and a 
slap in the face to American workers.
  The whole Biden administration at every level, be it funding or 
regulation, have forced electric vehicles and have forced the demand 
that the infrastructure isn't even close to being in place for.
  Mr. Speaker, 7 in 10 Americans said they don't want to buy an EV and 
are already trying to give back what they have.

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