On the recordApril 18, 2024
I am joining my colleagues today in resisting the EV mandate and commend them for attempting to defund this EV mandate. This mandate would require two-thirds of all new vehicles being sold in the United States in 2032 to be electric vehicles. It is going to be incredibly harmful to our American families, especially low-income families. The cost to consumers is going to be great. The average low-income family spends about $12,000 on a used vehicle to be able to get around. Frankly, for many families, especially families in States like mine of Nebraska, this is the pathway out of poverty: getting that vehicle, spending that $12,000, being able to get to a job, being able to increase your income. That is how American families get to work in States like mine. We are going to be robbing those families of that opportunity with this EV mandate, harming those low-income families. It is also going to be harmful for families in rural areas. In States like Nebraska, people drive long distances in rural areas to get to work. Right now, for example, you see that 99 of our 147 cities don't have a charger. If you are in some of our cities like Bloomfield or Alliance or Valentine, you are 45 minutes from the nearest charging station. That is not practical. Oh, and by the way, guess what. It gets cold in Nebraska. When the temperature drops below 20 degrees, you lose 40 percent of your charge on an EV.…
