Providing for Consideration of H.R. Preserving Choice in Vehicle Purchases Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. STAUBER. Mr. Speaker, just moments ago the distinguished gentlewoman from California made the statement and asked why Republicans don't want clean air and clean water. I reject that premise because this administration would rather mine in the Congo where they use child slave labor, zero environmental standards, and zero labor standards to get to these EV vehicles.

This administration has stopped mining in the biggest copper-nickel mine in the world, which is in northeastern Minnesota, and my colleagues on the other side of the aisle and this administration has stopped it.

Don't come here and ask me why my Republican colleagues and I have the stance we have. We are environmentalists, and we want clean air and clean water. That is an excuse.

We can mine in this country. We do not have to sign memorandums of understanding with the Congo who use child slave labor, and that is a fact. We can mine in northeastern Minnesota using union labor with the best environmental standards and the best labor standards in the world, but my colleagues on the other side of the aisle refuse to allow it to happen along with this administration.

Don't stand on this House floor and say this about the Republican Party and my colleagues. We are environmentalists, as well. We mine in the United States of America. We mine in northeastern Minnesota. We can show the world. Because when we allow China to meet the demands for critical minerals, those pollutants get in the jet stream and affects us all, as the gentlewoman from California says. We breathe that disgusting air that comes from the communist country of China. So let us mine here, Mr. Speaker. Allow this administration to let us mine here.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of this rule so we can consider H.R. 1435, the Preserving Choice in Vehicle Purchases Act.

This week, we read about the horrific cross-country road trip President Biden's Secretary of Energy faced as she tried to travel the country in her electric vehicle.

At every stop, Secretary Granholm struggled to charge her government- paid EV. She had to send staffers in gas-powered vehicles ahead of her to stand in line at the EV charging station, going so far as to block families from charging their own vehicles on hot summer days.

Her gas-powered vehicle was used by her staff so they could go sit in front of a charging station waiting for her to come so she could charge her vehicle to make a statement and let that family suffer waiting for the charging station to be open.

Now, just imagine if Secretary Granholm tried driving across northern Minnesota in the middle of winter when it was 20 below, 37 below, or 50 below. By the way, that cold in Minnesota, we still go to work and we still mine and we still weld, in the coldest of temperatures. Can you imagine her trying to do that? I am not even sure her EV would even start.

My constituents do not have the luxury of having government-paid staffers to advance their road trips and access EV charging stations ahead of time.

My constituents cannot afford to pay an extra $17,000, on average, for an electric vehicle, especially as Bidenomics destroys the pocketbooks of my constituents who have had to pay an average of $10,000 more a year.

If Americans want to drive EVs, they can, but they shouldn't be forced to. It should be their choice. Today, nearly 95 percent of Americans drive an internal combustion engine, a vehicle powered by gasoline or some form of ethanol or biofuels.

If liberal elitists from California want to drive electric vehicles, so be it. My constituents should not be forced to do the same. I believe in choice, not mandates by the Federal Government.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this rule and supporting H.R. 1435, because it is time that Congress steps up and protects our constituents from ridiculous mandates that affect our way of life.

Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ.

I truly appreciated the Speaker Emerita is leading us to think about the why and to think about the children, to think about the children and their health. We must remember that Democrats are not against consumer choices, but what we are for is consumer safety.

Should we allow consumers to choose leaded gas once again? No. Because we know what it does to our children's lungs.

1435.

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