- $3,500 for vehicles purchased before January 2027 Accessed 30 Nov. 2021. Of course no, Buttigieg chuckled as Gimenez said: I think thats what I heard you say., No, no, the laughing transportation secretary insisted. Fewer trips to the gas station is awesome. Accessed 30 Nov. 2021. (CNSNews.com) - Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was ready with his answer when Fox News's Neil Cavuto asked him about the widespread, hurricane-related power outages in southwest Florida. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Cavuto asked: "Well, yes, GM said they're not even going to be making anything but electric vehicles after 2035. In response, Mr Buttigieg argued that "nobody I know, certainly not me, thinks that all or even most Americans can easily afford. Even Buttigieg's reference to a $12,500 discount for people buying a new electric vehicle is ridiculous -- the average price difference between a new E.V. House Republicans questioned Buttigieg on how Americans struggling to pay $5 per gallon for gas could afford to purchase an electric vehicle. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Greene. ", Cavuto asked Buttigieg if he agrees that we'll need to rely on fossil fuels "for a while.". America has never been a country to live in the past. (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images). And while the Republican critics of EVs make arguments about policy, like suggesting the tax credits will only help wealthy car buyers or that they will make America more dependent on China, its hard to escape the conclusion that the GOP fight against EVs is as much about culture and tribal identity as it is about the merits of what the Biden administration is trying to do. After the invasion, gas prices are soaring even higher. "Gasoline Explained." Pete Buttigieg has hit back at Marjorie Taylor Greene after she accused him of trying to "emasculate" people by encouraging them to opt for electric cars over carbon dioxide emitting. In November 2021, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg generated controversy by saying that using electric vehicles would allay concerns families have over rising gas prices. The part of the quote that jumped out at me and, I bet, jumped out at you too is the word emasculate. Buttigieg is gay and the word choice, almost certainly deliberate, sounds a lot like an attempt to question his masculinity or attack his sexuality. Buttigieg replied that masculinity doesn't depend on what you drive. "Natural Gas Fuel Basics." "Well, yes, it's not like we can -- we can assume that, just tomorrow, the sun's going to come up and we don't need any fossil fuels, right? (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images), The clip ended with him claiming, "But the prices still need to come down for most Americans to be able to get an EV.". ", Stickers on gas pumps at a Shell Station. Buttigieg continued saying that if electric vehicles can be made less expensive and less viewed as a luxury item, then people can reap the cost benefits and buy electric vehicles made in. And there's certainly nothing to be gained by trying to stop this progress or slow down American leadership, when it's very clear that industry and the world are moving in a direction that's going to be cleaner, at a time when most of us believe that climate change is real and most of us recognize there are amazing numbers of good-paying American jobs to be had, if we insist on the U.S., rather than somebody like China, leading the way into that clean energy future.". and a gas-powered car is $19,000! Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. NYTimes.com, https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/01/15/climate/electric-car-cost.html. The U.S. broke its previous high on Monday, reporting a new national average of $4.104 per gallon. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Advertisement The part of the quote that jumped out at me and, I bet, jumped out at you too is the word "emasculate." Lauren DeCicca / Getty Images; Justin Sullivan / Getty Images. ", Buttigieg emphasized, "Of course no, no, thats what you heard me say. I knew this might come up, so I just pulled a few of the latest prices: A Chevy Bolt, so an American-made, 2022 EV, is $26,595, he told Perry. While Eli David is right to suggest in the tweet above that gas prices may indirectly affect electricity prices in some way, the U.S. is gradually shifting toward renewable sources for electricity, and eventually this argument may become less true over time. In March, she told Trump rally attendees in Georgia that Pete Buttigieg can take his electric vehicles and his bicycles, and he and his husband can stay out of our girls bathrooms. The following month, she said that mom and dad have been replaced by Chasten and Pete Buttigieg and their designer babies. Buttigieg Slammed for Urging Electric Car Buying to Counter Gas Prices. New York Post, 29 Nov. 2021, https://nypost.com/2021/11/29/buttigieg-slammed-for-urging-electric-car-buying-to-counter-gas-prices/. The act includes incentives in the form of tax credits, he argued, that would make owning an electric vehicle more affordable. The federal infrastructure law, approved by Congress and signed into law by Biden in 2021, is providing billions to encourage electric vehicle manufacturing and prepare the country for their widespread use. Were attracting innovation, were building sustainable communities and were doing it around this type of investment, Davids said. During the short clip, which was taken from a Thursday interview between the government official and radio show BigBoyTV, Buttigieg discussed how the U.S. government is looking to cut the cost of electric vehicles so that more Americans will buy them and get out of paying so much for gas. Thats what you heard me say?. We are bringing EV costs down and the number of jobs in EV manufacturing up at the same time. A race hell likely win unfortunately. But the appeal of EVs goes beyond fuel efficiency. Greene isnt alone in making these sorts of arguments. They want to make it political. Republicans lit up Buttigieg on social media, with Gimenez tweeting: Pete Buttigieg may be a small town mayor, but his policies have been a big time problem for America. U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg speaks to the news media during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S., November 8, 2021. The catastrophic 3 February derailment of a nearby train . Your car. Buttigieg has frequently encouraged Americans frustrated by high gas prices to consider going electric, telling MSNBC in November that families who make the switch would see a $12,500 discount in transportation costs. Some states, led by California, have set a transition date of 2035. Buttigieg said the United States will be better off when it's not dependent on fossil fuels-- "a commodity that is largely being produced in foreign dictatorships," he said. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, On Thursday, US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg visited the town of East Palestine, Ohio, for some much-needed damage control. So, if the United States of America can't execute a transition like this over the course of more than a decade, I don't know what to tell you. Some leftists have attempted to exonerate Biden by blaming the increase in gas prices on Russia. And its not just Michigan where EVs have potential to create jobs or anchor growth. To put it another way: Government support of EVs is already creating new jobs in some pretty conservative parts of the country, and its likely to create many more in the future. During a speech on March 7, Buttigieg said Americans should simply stop worrying about gas prices and buy an electric car. An internal Department of Transportation (DOT) watchdog said on Monday that it would conduct an audit of Secretary Pete Buttigieg's use of Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) taxpayer-funded jets for official trips, in addition to his predecessor's travel, Elaine Chao. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. The House Passed Bidens Massive Social Safety Net and Climate Bill. Our administration together, all of us, is working to make that possibility a reality., Kamala Harris says our transportation sector has reached a turning point to make a transition on energy pic.twitter.com/4UAkYLnwDO, RNC Research (@RNCResearch) March 7, 2022. like Pete Buttigieg want to emasculate the way we drive and force all of you to rely on electric vehicles, Greene said. Although Buttigieg boasted that electric vehicles could be cheaper for U.S. citizens than paying for gas, average prices for them were reported around $50,000. All smiles, Buttigieg claimed, "Were for cutting the cost of electric vehicles, because when you have an electric vehicle then youre also gonna be able to save on gas, but youve got to be able to afford it in the first place. President Biden himself hailed high gas prices in May by saying they were part of an incredible transition that is taking place that, God willing, when its over, well be stronger and the world will be stronger and less reliant on fossil fuels.. Pete Buttigieg slams Elon Musk's criticism of Biden's EV agenda: 'We believe in the benefits of union jobs' . Buttigieg responded: First of all, I want to be clear, nobody I know, certainly not me, thinks that all, or even most Americans, can easily afford electric vehicles.. When it was her turn to speak, she decided to take a swipe at Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and the Biden administrations efforts to support the purchase of electric vehicles. During an interview with The Star, Buttigieg spoke of the importance of trying to get it right with incentives. The standards are intended to ensure drivers experience consistency across an eventual national network of charging stations. The Build Back Better Act was passed by the House in mid-November 2021, and, as of this writing, is headed to the Senate. All Rights Reserved. A majority of Republican voters (54%) oppose government support of EVs, according to a survey that Pew Research released in August. The Chevy Bolt lineup received a massive price cut last month, dropping from $31,000 to $25,600. RNC Research, a Twitter account managed by the Republican National Committee, claimed that Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg bragged in a recent interview that "high gas prices are forcing people to electric vehicles": . She said the benefits of bills like the infrastructure law and Inflation Reduction Act are starting to be seen. The IRS allows for an electric drive motor vehicle credit right now. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg schooled Fox News host Bret Baier on electric cars over the weekend. "Again, the things that I have seen, whether it's what I saw at the Detroit Auto Show a couple of weeks ago when I was there with the president, or what you see Tesla and these newer companies doing, it's really extraordinary. - $4,500 for vehicles with final assembly in the U.S. at a union facility Buttigieg's message to drivers is well-timed. pic.twitter.com/rd8O0Hk6nF, Greene, who recently made headlines for saying Pride Month needs to end, has previously targeted the transportation secretary with bizarre and nonsensical homophobia. Ford bought the property a few years ago and is now almost finished with a. Buttigieg and other officials arrived at the Panasonic site after Buttigieg participated in a ribbon-cutting event at the new Kansas City International Airport terminal, which will open to the public on Tuesday. At one point, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) noted a studyindicating that under full compliance, an American family would use 25 times more electricity for their cars than to power their refrigerators. Maybe the most visible symbol is the resurrection of the old, towering and long-abandoned. electricity." Sign up for our MRCTV Daily newsletter to receive the latest news. Stickers on gas pumps at a Shell Station. But these are the very residents who have not always been connected to electric vehicles that are viewed as kind of a luxury item. Therefore, gasoline prices probably wouldn't directly affect the price of electricity to the extent claimed by some critics. "Well, I actually think this is a great example of one of the many benefits of those tools," Buttigieg said: "I was just at the Detroit Auto Show a couple of weeks ago. The only rival, really, was the 2015 Volt it replaced when its lease ran out. Accessed 30 Nov. 2021. Families that once they own that electric vehicle (EV) will never have to worry about gas prices again. Fox News personality Neil Cavuto. There are all sorts of projections out there, each with different assumptions built into them. If we add yesterdays grid with tomorrows cars, its not going to work., Buttigieg went on to claim that work has already begun to bolster the grid to support more electric vehicles and claimed the Energy and Transportation Departments were meeting to map out some of the needs., You actually use the word need. You could say want as well, Massie said. As the back-and-forth played out in Congress, gas prices stood at an average for $4.50 per gallon nationwide $1.33 higher than at this time last year, according to AAA. President Joe Biden's Transportation Secretary, Pete Buttigieg, boasted about how high gas prices are forcing Americans towards electric vehicles during an interview on Thursday on REAL 92.3's Big Boy TV. It's not going to happen overnight. (That's because the Biden administration refuses to expand U.S. fossil fuel production). If you want a pickup truck, like a Chevy Silverado EV or Ford F-150 Lightning, the starting prices of those are $39,930 [and] $39,974, respectively," he said. Heres What Happens Next. CNBC, 19 Nov. 2021, https://www.cnbc.com/2021/11/19/house-passes-build-back-better-act-what-happens-next-in-the-senate.html. There also aren't enough EV's to meet current demand, let alone an all . Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg responded to fears of emasculation voiced by Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) during a Tuesday appearance on Fox News. U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg speaks during the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), in Glasgow, Scotland, Britain, November 10, 2021. Another $4,500 tax credit can be added if the vehicle was assembled with domestic union labor. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Let them buy cars! A headline on Fox News host Sean Hannitys website said in response to the comments, comparing Buttigieg to Marie Antoinette (who, according to legend, said of the starving peasants in France, "Let them eat cake!"). ", Buttigieg continued, "Now were actually starting to see on some models, the cost come to where, even if your car payments a little higher, your gas payment will be a little lower and you come out ahead.". To charge a car at home using an outlet without enhancements to its electrical system can take as long as four days for a 300-mile range, Garcia said. released in August. I know you want me to say it so bad but honestly, sir, what were saying is we could have no pain at all by making EVs cheaper for everyone.". Critics heaped scorn upon a clip showing Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg excitedly talking about the prospect of "most Americans" switching to electric vehicles due to high gas prices. You may opt out at anytime. During an interview on Fox News Sunday, Baier asked Buttigieg why Tesla CEO Elon Musk had not been invited to a White House meeting on tailpipe emissions. industry, enacted in the hope that it might one day be profitable on its own. The exchange came Tuesday when Buttigieg appeared before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to testify about the administrations progress in implementing the bipartisan infrastructure law. Weil, Dan. Gabriel Hays is an associate editor for Fox News Digital. Nancy Pelosi said on "Morning Joe" on Tuesday that high gas prices were mostly due to the war in Ukraine. 3) Meanwhile, how do we get people to buy electric cars when insane inflation means they cant even afford food or housing? To save time charging EVs and extend battery life, many drivers also . Story tips can be sent to lindsay.kornick@fox.com and on Twitter: @lmkornick. Drivers experience consistency across an eventual national network of charging stations, on! 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