Members of Congress are embracing electric vehicles for themselves, but remain divided on partisan lines over the Biden administration's efforts to promote the cars.
More than two dozen House and Senate lawmakers have gone electric, including two Republicans from the lower chamber who oppose President Joe Biden's energy and climate policies, according to a tally Politico released on Sunday. That number doesn't include individuals who said they drive a hybrid and those who say they've driven a plug-in vehicle or are thinking of purchasing one.
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“One of the reasons I got it is in a zombie apocalypse; I can still drive around. I’ve got my own refinery on my roof basically,” Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), a longtime Tesla owner who takes credit for having the first electric charging stations installed at the Capitol, said, referencing solar panels.
He added that he “can charge the car even if the zombies have taken over the refineries. It’s part of being self-sufficient.”
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) also drives a Tesla, though the progressive superstar says she's thinking about switching to a brand that supports unionized labor.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) is considering getting a Tesla, noting that his daughters "think they're cool" and mentioning Elon Musk's decision to move the company's headquarters to Texas.
Rep. Pat Fallon (R-TX), who chairs the House Oversight and Accountability Committee’s regulatory subcommittee and has staunchly opposed the administration's climate efforts, let it slip recently that he owns a Tesla while slamming an Environmental Protection Agency rule that would limit smog, soot, and carbon from cars and trucks starting in 2027. The agency has boasted that the proposal could dramatically increase EV sales.
“Electric vehicles make sense for many Americans — in fact, my family owns one,” he posted on X, formerly called Twitter. “But it makes NO sense for the EPA to force Americans to buy them.”
While the number of lawmakers going electric has certainly grown, a vast majority of Congress is still driving gas-powered vehicles. Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AR), who chairs the House Natural Resources Committee, said driving a Tesla was "fantastic," but noted he would never buy one since he lives in a rural area with few available charging stations.
Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA), a prominent progressive, says he drives Toyota and Ford hybrids. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) also drives a hybrid.
The uptick in electric vehicle purchases on the Hill has done little to deter the partisan rancor over Biden's EV policies, including tax incentives that Republicans have argued make all car purchases more expensive. Former President Donald Trump has railed against the Democrat-led push to promote what he calls "expensive electric cars."
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“Joe Biden is waging war on the U.S. auto industry with a series of crippling mandates designed to force Americans into expensive electric cars — that’s just what he wants — even as thousands of electric cars are piling up on car lots all unsold,” Trump said in the video, a reference to a recent Cox Automotive analysis that found that EV supplies at dealerships had risen more than 300% in the last year.
The analysis does not include vehicles sold by Tesla, the nation’s leading electric vehicle manufacturer, because the company does not sell its cars through dealerships.