Former congressman Sean Duffy, President-elect Donald Trump's U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) nominee, said drivers of electric vehicles should have to pay to use U.S. roads.
Duffy indicated that as U.S. Transportation Secretary, he'd consider ways to charge EV drivers for the damage they do to the country's infrastructure.
"They should pay for use of our roads," Duffy told senators during his confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill. "How to do that is a little more challenging."
Because of their large batteries, EVs are generally heavier than gasoline-powered cars and can contribute to more wear and tear on the roads. Some states, such as Michigan, already add on registration fees for EVs to cover road repair costs. In Michigan, the EV fee is $155 and is charged in addition to any regular registration fees. Meanwhile, the EV fee for trucks and buses in that state is a hefty $255.
Most revenue for federally funded road repairs is collected through taxes on diesel and gasoline, which EVs do not pay. For years, Congress has opted not to hike taxes and instead use general tax revenue to address shortfalls in the federal Highway Trust Fund (HTF), which is funded primarily through fuel taxes. HTF's funds pay for transportation projects like building bridges and maintaining highways.
Duffy's stance on EVs, including support of a road usage fee, aligns with Trump's agenda to possibly reverse or alter EV incentives and regulations.
If confirmed, Duffy would oversee the Federal Highway Administration, which is responsible for disbursing money from the EV-charging programs created by the 2021 infrastructure bill.
According to Politico, Pete Buttigieg, Duffy's predecessor, has moved quickly to prevent program funds from falling into the Trump administration's hands. But Duffy would still have about $2.5 billion left to spend, which he could direct away from EVs.
As the Fox News host of "The Bottom Line," Duffy bashed President Joe Biden's EV push. "This is the dumbest policy," Duffy said on-air, referring to the president's rules encouraging EV adoption. "If Americans wanted electric vehicles—$60,000 a pop—they'd buy electric vehicles."
Katie has covered the lack of consumer demand despite the Biden White House's EV mandates. Ford lost about $4.7 billion on EVs two years ago and projects last year's losses as in the range of $5 billion to $5.5 billion. In a recent quarter, Hertz took a $245 million hit to its earnings due to a drop in value of the EVs it was selling.
The left-wing Sierra Club, a climate alarmism group, issued a statement Wednesday lambasting Trump's DOT designate.
"Sean Duffy holds dangerous and misinformed beliefs about everything from climate change to the diverse makeup of the transportation workforce, making him wholly unqualified to run DOT," said Katherine García, the Sierra Club's director of its Clean Transportation for All campaign. "We need a Secretary of Transportation that understands the reality that transportation is the leading source of climate emissions and is committed to clean transportation solutions that will help protect our communities. Sean Duffy has no business running DOT and we urge the Senate to reject him."
The organization further claimed that Duffy has "no particular qualifications to run a government agency focused on transportation issues."
Back when Biden tapped Buttigieg, the Sierra Club praised his pick as "historic news."
"After four years of failure at the Department of Transportation, the agency will finally have someone who understands the significant effect transportation emissions have on the climate crisis and communities suffering from toxic tailpipe pollution," a Sierra Club spokesperson said of "the first openly LGBTQ Cabinet Secretary."
As Duffy faced questions from members of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) said DOT is DEI "obsessed" under Buttigieg.
Duffy signaled that as Buttigieg's replacement, he'd ensure that the hiring of federal workers would be merit-based and not diversity-driven. "We want the hiring decisions to be based on merit. We want excellence. We want the best people in these jobs [...] We can only hire the best and the brightest because everyone's safety is at stake," Duffy stressed.