Wyoming Senator John Barrasso (R) is calling President Joe Biden’s new electric vehicle mandate as “foolishness at best and left-wing lunacy at worst,” as he spoke on the Senate floor last week.
Senator Barrasso has been vocal about the Biden’s administration’s wanting to dismantle and move away from the fossil fuel industry, an industry that has been long part of Wyoming’s heritage and a huge financial generator for the state.
Barrasso, speaking specifically about moving toward electric vehicles, says that the mandate “is President Biden’s latest attack on Americans’ freedoms, consumer choice, American jobs, and energy security.”
For President Biden, the overall goal of his energy policy is to achieve lower emissions from fossil fuels, which would coincide with the Paris Agreement, down by 45 percent by 2030 and net zero by 2050. Forcing people to purchase and use electric vehicles is part of that mandate over the next decade is just part of Biden’s policy which some lawmakers, like Senator Barrasso, doesn’t agree with, saying it’s impractical and expensive for the people of Wyoming to transition to EVs. He also says it’s part of a bigger ideological problem.
“To Democrats, what kind of cars Americans drive is not a practical question. It is one based on theology. Their war against gas-powered cars amounts to what I believe is foolishness at best and left-wing lunacy at worst. Americans reject and continue to reject this unwelcomed intrusion into our lives. And they reject it for good reason. They know that the Biden Car Ban will drive their lives into the ditch. That is certainly the case for the people in my home state in Wyoming. It’s bad for families in my home state. It’s bad for the workers in my home state. It’s bad for American national security.”
But the senior Senator from Wyoming also pointed out the practical economic pitfalls of driving EVs, instead of combustible engines that use gasoline, here in our state.
“Look, farmers and ranchers count on their vehicles. It can be a matter of life and death. People know not to run out of fuel, not to run out of gas. They know what it’s like in the winters. They know to always be fully prepared and fully loaded with gas before they head out on the roads in Wyoming. They want their vehicles to be reliable and affordable. We in Wyoming have cold winters and vast distances. Electric cars are not meant to benefit and survive in either.”
From a business model, producing electric cars are more expensive to manufacture and that cost is passed onto the consumer, a point that Barrasso said isn’t fair to the average American.
“Electric cars are a reasonable choice for some people. They aren’t a reasonable choice for everyone and that’s why these new administrative rules are so unreasonable. As the CEO of Ford Motor Company Jim Farley said last year, ‘electric vehicles will require 40 percent less labor to make than the typical, traditional gas-powered vehicle.'”
Barrasso went on to explain, “According to one estimate, the transition to EV production will kill about 117,000 auto jobs in the United States. Another estimate puts that number much, much higher. It is already hitting home for some automakers and autoworkers. The owner of Chrysler laid off 1,200 employees at its Jeep plant in Illinois. Ford cut 3,000 white-collar jobs last year. The reason for the layoffs, both companies say, is the EV transition.”
On the Senate floor, Barrasso said that for America, Biden’s environmental policies and mandates are an unnecessary financial and economic burden.
“Americans are suffering from the costliest regulatory agenda in history and increasingly higher interest rates for auto loans. Because of what we’ve seen with Bidenomics, that time when people can least afford things is turning to be right now. Electric cars should never be Americans’ only option, and no one should be forced to buy a vehicle at a time they can least afford it. Trying to force families to buy expensive new vehicles they don’t want, can’t afford, is completely out of touch.“
Senator Barrasso then shifted his speech from how these climate policy shifts are bad for Americans and their wallets, but also it’s a matter of compromising the United States national security as much of the materials used in the manufacturing of EVs is bought from China.
“Plus, the Biden Car Ban puts activists’ demands ahead of America’s national security. And when we take a look at the electric batteries that are used to power these vehicles, where are they coming from? Well, 80 percent of the world’s electric batteries right now come from Communist China. Communist China controls 60 percent of the critical minerals that are used to make those batteries. When Joe Biden and the Democrats try to force-feed electric vehicles to Americans, it is a recipe for more dependence on the dictators and the despots, including the Chinese Communist Party.
The Senator then ended his speech on the Senate floor with what is best, not only for Wyoming, but for all Americans. It comes down to choice, and the freedom for all Americans have the freedom to make that choice.
“Americans should be able to make their own decisions about what type of vehicle works best for them and be able to buy it.”
