In statements made on Tuesday to Congress, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg claimed that Mericans could help drop the burden of dealing with gas prices by just going out and buying an electric vehicle.
These statements in front of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee took place as various members of the Biden administration sung their own praises for even a minimal decline in the cost of gas. While seemingly ignoring the fact that these prices at the pump are now 89% higher than when he originally took office, Biden made the argument this past Tuesday that all of his “actions are working” and “prices are coming down.”
All the while, Buttigieg stated to legislators that the high gas prices will force Americans to make use of alternatives.
“The more pain we are all experiencing from the high price of gas, the more benefit there is for those who can access electric vehicle,” explained Buttigieg, as reported by Fox Business.
“So you’re saying the more pain we have, the more benefit we’re gonna get?” answered Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-FL). “I think that’s what I heard you say.”
“Of course — no, no, that’s what you heard me say,” stated Buttigieg. “I know you want me to say it’s so bad but honestly, sir, what we’re saying is we could have no pain at all by making EVs cheaper for everyone.
Buttigieg was told by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) that the charging of electric vehicles would need several times more energy than a typical family would use for their air conditioning, a statistic that runs against the goal of Biden’s administration to move the nation to have at least 50% electric vehicle adoption by as soon as 2030. Despite this, Buttigieg and his teams have made the argument more than once that more extensive use of clean energy is just a silver lining to the ever-increasing cost of energy.
“The people who stand to benefit most from owning an EV are often rural residents who have the most distances to drive, who burn the most gas, and underserved urban residents in areas where there are higher gas prices and lower income,” claimed Buttigieg last year. “They would gain the most by having that vehicle. These are the very residents who have not always been connected to electric vehicles that are viewed as kind of a luxury item.”
At the time of the first week of President Joe Biden’s time in office, the national average cost for gasoline sat at $2.38 per gallon, as reported by the U.S. energy information administration, and rapidly climbed up to $3.53 per gallon by the time Russia invaded Ukraine. As of June, the price jumped up past $5.00 per gallon before dropping back down to roughly $4.49 per gallon as of this past week.