The Fox in the Henhouse

[patric]

In a memo released Thursday, the Federal Highway Administration ordered states to halt the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program, which President Donald Trump cited as an example of the "Green New Deal." So far, states are now split, with some putting their program on pause and at least one planning to continue to fulfill existing contracts.

The program, which Congress approved under the bipartisan infrastructure law, was intended to help fill gaps in the nation's EV charging network and boost consumer confidence to buy electric vehicles. The law also provided another $2.5 billion for chargers in communities and neighborhoods.

The letter informs state transportation directors — who are in charge of administering the program — that any plans approved by the Biden administration are now suspended until the Transportation Department provides new guidelines in the spring. "Effective immediately, no new obligations may occur under the NEVI Formula Program," the letter reads. "I don't believe FHWA has the authority to do this," said Loren McDonald, the firm's chief analyst and an expert on the charging program, in an email.

The president has continued to target electric vehicles, even while he maintains a close alliance with Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla. Tesla has been a key recipient of charging grants, and it has the largest fast-charger network in the country. But Musk has previously said that cuts to EV benefits, such as the $7,500 EV tax credit, will be more painful for the company's rival automakers than Tesla, even if his company might suffer in the short term.

Some states, including Rhode Island, Missouri, Alabama and Oklahoma, had already publicly confirmed that they were pausing their EV charger programs before the memo was released.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2025/02/06/trump-ev-charging-halt-transportation-department/

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Some states, including Rhode Island, Missouri, Alabama and Oklahoma, had already publicly confirmed that they were pausing their EV charger programs before the memo was released.

In reality, even lemmings aren't that stupid.

[patric]

In reality, even lemmings aren't that stupid.

"Most of the unawarded money is sitting in state Department of Transportation bank accounts ready to be spent," Gallentine said in a statement. States are under no obligation to stop these projects based solely on this announcement, he said. "We call on state DOTs and program administrators to continue executing this program until new guidance is finalized."

"There's no legal basis" for stopping plans that have already been approved and funded, said Andrew Wishnia, former deputy assistant secretary for climate policy at the DOT who helped author the NEVI program.

Tesla will continue expanding its network regardless of federal money — and likely still benefit from its competitors receiving fewer funds.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-wants-to-halt-the-buildout-of-ev-charging-stations-experts-say-its-not-so-simple

Elon Musk's Tesla will receive one of the largest government contracts in 2025 to produce armored vehicles.
The filing includes a massive contract for hundreds of millions of dollars to the Department of Government Efficiency czar's automobile company for "Armored Tesla (production units)." The contract is worth more than $100 million and has a cap of $500 million, according to the filing.
By comparison, a contract for armored sedans was capped at $100 million, and contracts for armored BMW and armored electric vehicles were capped at $50 million. The office handling the award was the Defensive Equipment and Armored Vehicle Division, and it was targeted for Q4.
Tesla has been the subject of an investigation by the National Labor Relations Board, as well as the subject of a lawsuit by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and hundreds of complaints by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, according to The New York Times.
In his position as the leader of DOGE, Musk's house-cleaning has affected each one of these agencies.
https://newrepublic.com/post/191477/tesla-elon-musk-government-contract