Michigan Democratic Rep. Debbie Dingell was noncommittal to Newsmax about whether Congress will extend the tax credit for electric vehicles at a time when many supporters of her party have been ridiculed for chastising the general public about complaints of rising gas prices.
Speaking to "The Record With Greta Van Susteren" on Thursday, Dingell commented that environmentalists are involved in the discussion, which has complicated the issue.
"The fact of the matter is that instead of the normal tension you see between industry and regulators and unions, the industry, the environmentalists, and the unions understand that transportation contributes to almost 30% of carbon emissions in this country," said Dingell, who represents Michigan's 12th Congressional District around Detroit and is the widow of John Dingell.
John Dingell was the longest serving member in the history of Congress until his death in 2015 and was replaced by his wife.
"So, they've set a goal of trying to get to 50% sales of electric vehicles or zero emissions by the year 2030. Ultimately, we're going to be mass producing electric vehicles, and the cost is going to come down," she said.
"But at the moment, the Tesla is not affordable, and I'm not taking a shot at any one vehicle, but it's a luxury, expensive car. So, what the companies are just asking for right now is, we're in this transition, is, and so the UAW, so the union and other union members are asking for a tax credit that helps incentivize while the companies begin to mass market the newer electric vehicles."
Dingell's comment come as rising gas prices have intensified criticism of the Biden administration, defenders of which have responded by essentially suggesting that consumers should buy electric cars such as Telsas.
Moreover, Tesla is the most popular electric vehicle but its $7,500 tax credit — along with other companies such as GM — have expired due to reaching the sales threshold for the incentive. Adding to the issue is that Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk recently declared he would be voting Republican in the midterm elections in November.
"I think there's a lot of discussion," Dingell said. "I don't think we should be negotiating some of this. The last time everybody tried to do it, it all blew up."
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