House Republicans are expected to grill Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on the Biden administration's climate agenda, the push for electric vehicles, and the mismanagement of the Federal Aviation Administration.
Buttigieg will be testifying before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on Wednesday morning amid a year of transportation blunders such as the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment and a plethora of flight cancellations.
UAW STRIKE: SHAWN FAIN GIVES NEW DEADLINE BEFORE MORE UNION WORKERS WALK OUT ON JOBS
“I look forward to hearing Secretary Buttigieg’s take on the Biden administration’s decision to cut off our supply to the minerals necessary to domestically produce EV batteries while also pushing for electrification of our vehicles, and how those contradictory actions will impact the transportation industry," Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AR) told the Washington Examiner.
The committee has been questioning the Department of Transportation over cybersecurity, supply chain issues, and the Biden administration "continuing to put its thumb on the scale for one type of engine — electric."
Highway and Transit Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Rick Crawford (R-AR) sent a letter last week to Buttigieg, noting concerns over a 50-state "patchwork" of EV infrastructure being built under the department's National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program.
Rep. Pete Stauber's (R-MN) office told the Washington Examiner he plans to question Buttigieg on the administration's "unrealistic" goals for EVs, as well as the monetary impact on American families to have to make a switch to EV and the technology's reliability compared to gas-powered vehicles.
EVs have also made their way to the 2024 campaign trail, where former President Donald Trump, seeking the nomination for the upcoming presidential election, sought to win over Michigan voters, explaining that the push for EVs would destroy the American auto industry, highlighting the protests from the United Auto Workers union. Speaking to a state consistently on an electoral razor's edge, which is also home to about 175,000 auto workers — right around Trump's vote deficit in 2020 — the former president said all new EVs would be made in China.
“Secretary Buttigieg has a lot of questions to answer. His department has been a disaster from day one," Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-CA) told the Washington Examiner. "His tenure to date has not inspired any confidence, and I’m looking forward to speaking with him tomorrow about this disappointment.”
Many committee members are planning to highlight DOT's priorities in terms of climate change and "Green New Deal-style" initiatives that many conservatives believe are both unrealistic and expensive.
LaMalfa detailed three points from the Golden State regarding the California Air Resources Board, the only statewide vehicle emissions board allowed to issue standards under the Clean Air Act. Other states can either follow federal guidance or CARB's.
LaMalfa highlighted three "disastrous" zero-emissions CARB rules affecting locomotives, which the California Republican noted are still in the testing phase and none exist on the rails, medium- and heavy-duty trucks, and vehicles.
"Why hasn’t his department commented on the implementation of the California Air Resources Board's disastrous new emissions rules, how they will plan around the inevitable supply chain disruptions that will happen because of the rules, and what the national security consequences of a weakening domestic transport sector that will result from the rules' implementation?" LaMalfa asked.
While the Biden administration recently nominated Michael Whitaker to be the FAA administrator, the aviation agency has come under fire this year for several reasons, including cancellations, safety concerns, and reportedly coordinating to hide the cost of Buttigieg's controversial private jet travel at taxpayer expense.
Earlier this month, the House Oversight Committee probed DOT about seven near-miss runway incidents occurring this year alone, which Buttigieg said were "deeply troubling and deserve our immediate attention," as well as a near collision, where one airplane came within 100 feet of crashing into another in San Diego.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The FAA has been without a permanent administrator since April of last year, leaving the agency with an acting head as Biden's original nominee, Phil Washington, withdrew over Republican criticism for not being qualified.
Buttigieg's last testimony before the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee was in July of last year, and his last House testimony was in April before the Appropriations Committee.