Pete Buttigieg Says High Gas Prices Will ‘Benefit’ Those Who Access EVs

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg touted the benefits of higher gasoline prices during a congressional hearing on Tuesday.

Buttigieg appeared before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to examine the implementation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

In an exchange with Rep. Carlos Giménez (R-Fla.), Buttigieg reiterated his position that the rising cost of gas will create a greater benefit for consumers who can access electric cars.

“The more pain we are all experiencing from the high price of gas, the more benefit there is for those who can access electric vehicles,” he said.

When asked to clarify this remark, Buttigieg purported that “we could have no pain at all by making EVs cheaper for everybody.”

The former presidential candidate championed the White House’s proposal that the U.S. government subsidize the upfront purchase price of electric vehicles to make them cheaper for consumers.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks with SemaConnect CEO Mahi Reddy at the Prince George’s County Brandywine Maintenance Facility during a visit to announce the Biden administration’s Electric Vehicle Charging Action Plan, in Brandywine, Md., on Dec. 13, 2021. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

Under the president’s Build Back Better plan, EV buyers would receive a $7,500 tax credit to buy a plug-in electric vehicle and up to $12,500 for union-made U.S. electric automobiles.

Electric car makers have been advocating for these types of incentives, warning the industry would fail to reach the administration’s goal of 50 percent EV sales by 2030.

But Republicans assert that this proposal mainly benefits only the wealthy, citing Grist data that highlighted 78 percent of electric car tax credits were claimed by individuals earning more than $100,000 per year.

In recent months, Buttigieg has been making the case that drivers can avoid the high cost of gas by switching to electric automobiles, claiming that

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