Jimmy Patronis: “Mr. Chair, on behalf of myself and Representative Moore of Alabama, I encourage all my colleagues to vote in strong…”

“Mr. Chair, on behalf of myself and Representative Moore of Alabama, I encourage all my colleagues to vote in strong support of my amendment, which eliminates the general ban on purchasing conventionally powered vehicles and repeals the statutory preference for EVs and hybrid nontactical vehicles within the Department of War. How in the world can the most powerful military in the whole world live up to that reputation while driving a bunch of weak EVs that require charging? My amendment builds on President Trump's executive order that we must put the mission at the core of what we do forward. Under the Biden administration, the Air Force previously planned for acquisitions of all light-duty, nontactical vehicles to be electric by 2027. Now, what they forgot is in many of the defense facilities in my district, and also across the globe, that they are near saltwater. We have all seen the horrible fires that occur when saltwater and batteries mix. In the Joe Biden Department of Defense, I can only imagine a scenario where a natural disaster causes critical installations, just like in my district, to be stuck with a large fleet of vehicles both burning and inoperable. Congress cannot allow this to happen to our troops.”