Biden’s Push for Electric Vehicles Will Benefit China: House Republicans

The Chinese Communist Party will likely become the beneficiary of President Joe Biden’s push to fill U.S. streets with electric vehicles, according to 16 Republicans on the House Oversight Committee.

The lawmakers, led by the committee’s ranking Republican member, Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), and Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), sounded the alarm in an Aug. 24 letter (pdf) to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. They wrote that Oversight Committee Republicans are examining “the false claims” made by the Biden administration about the impact of electric vehicles on U.S. jobs.

To rebuke the administration’s claims, the lawmakers pointed out how Ford will cut about 8,000 jobs this summer to “boost profits to fund its push into the electric-vehicle market,” citing a July article from Bloomberg.

Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) speaks during the Rally To Protect Our Elections conference in Phoenix on July 24, 2021. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

“Most of the 8,000 jobs will be salaried workers in the United States, representing as much as 25 percent of Ford’s American salaried workers,” they wrote. “Ford is focusing on eliminating employees from its gas-fueled vehicle line.”

Aside from the job cuts, Ford has turned to a Chinese supplier for battery packs. According to a statement from Ford’s website, the U.S. automaker inked a cooperation agreement with China-based Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. (CATL) in July. Under the terms of the agreement, CATL will supply electric batteries for certain models of Ford’s electric pickup trucks and SUVs beginning in 2023.

CATL stated that its agreement with Ford allows the two firms to “leverage their respective strengths to jointly explore new business opportunities worldwide.”

However, the lawmakers warned about CATL’s ties to the Chinese communist regime.

“CATL is influential in the Chinese government—being able to independently draft government safety regulations while completely dominating the EV battery market with support