Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is under fire from Oklahoma Congressman Markwayne Mullin after recently announcing higher fuel economy standards for cars and light trucks.
In a letter to Buttigieg, the Republican Representative said the new mandate of 49 miles per gallon for passenger cars by 2026 is “nothing more than a coercive government mandate to encourage auto manufacturers to build more electric vehicles to appease your anti-fossil fuel agenda.”
Rep. Mullin said the new mandate will only increase the price of cars and pickup trucks and add undue burdens on consumers “yet again.”
The Congressman made the case that the new fuel standards will make buying new cars even more challenging and that is is already unattainable for many of his constituents. Mullin argued the mandate is only another effort to encourage motorists to buy electric cars.
“These new standards will artificially make electric cars look more reasonable because the standards will increase the prices of internal combustion vehicles, even though electric vehicles cost an average of $10,000 more. Instead of making cars more fuel efficient, auto manufacturers will simply produce more electric vehicles to comply with this standard,” said Mullin.
He told Buttigieg that when government mandates pick winners and losers, the consumer is the loser and the government should step back and let the market decide the types of cars to buy.
“Electric vehicles and more expensive cars in general will not help my constituents that are already facing record inflation and paying more for just about everything. These new standards are only going to hurt the very people you claim to be helping,” concluded the Congressman.
Secretary Buttigieg announced the new Corporate Average Fuel Economy or CAFE standards saying they will help rural America.