Providing Congressional Disapproval of the Rule Submitted By the Environmental Protection Agency Relating to ``California State Motor Vehicle and Engine Pollution Control Standards; Heavy-Duty Vehicle and Engine Emission Warranty and Maintenance Provisions; Advanced Clean Trucks; Zero Emission Airport Shuttle; Zero-Emission Power Train Certification; Waiver of Preemption; Notice of Decision''

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Mr. STAUBER. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.J. Res. 87, which will prohibit California from mandating electric trucks not only for Californians but for all Americans.

The Biden administration's misguided decision to grant California this waiver has serious implications far beyond the State of California, impacting all Americans. It is an assault on our way of life in northern Minnesota.

Madam Speaker, I am not opposed to Americans having the ability to purchase and drive an electric car, truck, or bus if they so wish. In fact, I support their choice to do so. We should support and embrace consumer choice.

What I am opposed to is unelected bureaucrats in Washington or Sacramento mandating my constituents purchase and drive an electric car or truck. The people in Minnesota, many of them, not only can't afford an EV, these vehicles are not compatible with our daily lives.

How are you supposed to drive an electric vehicle when it is 20 below zero, and it loses 60 percent of its battery life in a short period of time?

We cannot forget that the critical minerals that are used to make these EVs are sourced from Chinese Communist Party-controlled mines in places like Congo, where 15 of the 19 industrial mines are owned by the Chinese Communist Party. These mines have zero environmental standards, zero labor standards, and they use child slave labor.

Thanks to the Biden administration's refusal to support responsible, domestic mining, their de facto EV mandate will only increase our reliance on the Chinese Communist Party for critical minerals.

Madam Speaker, the Biden administration ``exported their environmental guilt.''

In my hometown, the Duluth Transit Authority bought electric buses in 2018. It was a big event. There was a ribbon cutting and all the leaders were there. What they didn't tell you was that in short order, Madam Speaker, they had to add diesel-generated heaters to those electric buses because they wouldn't work in the cold climate. They were happy they had their electric buses, but they didn't tell everybody they had to spend more money to add diesel-generated heaters to those buses.

Madam Speaker, in this town just 2 weeks ago, I spoke at an event, and I condemned child slave labor in Congo. As I was walking out, a gentleman from one of those mines said he disagreed with me.

I said: What do you disagree with?

He said: That we use child slaves in our mines.

I said: It is confirmed. It is factual. Not only the Trump administration, but the Biden administration confirmed it.

He said to me, Madam Speaker: Well, it is only a few children.

I said: Even one is too much. We will not consume any critical minerals used by child slave labor, and the Biden administration did that.

Madam Speaker, 33 percent of our cobalt that we use came from child slave labor when we have mines in northern Minnesota that the Biden administration shut down.

I urge my colleagues to join me in standing up against these mandates and standing for consumer choice.

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