David Turk, Joe Biden’s deputy secretary of energy, ran into a brick wall on Capitol Hill, on Thursday.
Josh Hawley was the first to ask him a question. The Missouri Senator then set Biden’s agenda for climate change on fire by delivering one of the clearest and most concise critiques of the absurd electric vehicle mandates imposed by the Obama administration.
I don’t want to use the term “must-watch” too often, but this clip is only a little more than a minute in length and worth every second.
Senator Josh Hawley just delivered a knockout punch to Biden’s green agenda.
The Biden Administration is paying China to produce electric cars and sell them to us.
Pure madness. pic.twitter.com/tYHjSRCRMT
— Daniel Turner (@DanielTurnerPTF) January 11, 2024
HAWLEY: Let’s discuss who benefits from the climate agenda of this administration and these draconian mandates for electric vehicles. You’ve already hinted at this, Mr. Turk. You know the answers. One nation produces 60 percent of all-electric vehicles in the world. This nation is?
TURK: China
HAWLEY: A single nation is responsible for 76 percent of the lithium battery production in the world. What is the name of that nation?
TURK: China
HAWLEY: But your administration and the administration of the president, mandates you have put in place, requires that two-thirds of the new vehicles sold in the United States in the next eight-year period be electric cars. Your policies put us and our supply chain in the hands of our biggest geostrategic foe, enriching him, and enriching his government, while forcing Americans to pay for electric cars that cost on average $7,000 more than traditional vehicles, are more costly to repair, and to insure. They also require Americans to replace more parts, including tires, more frequently.
Why, Mr. Turk? Is it good for American workers to force their supply chains into a country that is our biggest rival and enemy, and what about the American consumer, too?
I can’t believe we are having this debate. Not only are lithium batteries largely made in China using child labor and other methods, but they’re also not renewable. We are forcing American dollars into the hands of a communist regime that wants to rule the world and destroy us, but what are we getting in return?
Answering that question is easy. The cars we are buying are too heavy to even go on a road trip. They also wear out their tires very quickly and are expensive to repair. This includes the cost of replacing batteries, which can be five digits.
China is still the largest emitter of CO2 in the world, and it’s not slowing down any time soon. Imagine how absurd that is. We’re blaming Americans for “climate changes” to enrich China. China is building coal-fired plants like pop-up homes. What would the Biden Administration do differently if it was deliberately trying to sabotage America?
Hertz has just announced that it is selling off a large portion of its electric fleet to make way for more gas-powered cars. Why? Because the current generation of electric vehicles is not suitable for general use. It would be detrimental to American families to try and force electric vehicles on everyone.
But that is exactly what’s happening, at both the federal and state level (specifically in places like California). China will win this deal and will not have to make any difference to the “climate” unless things change.
