August 6, 2021

Biden Demands Consumers Buy 50% EV by 2030

And lawmakers seek to implement a tax on vehicle milage traveled in the infrastructure bill.

Democrats will tell you what to buy, when to buy it, and they’ll tax you while you’re at it.

Deep within the 2,700 pages of the bipartisan “infrastructure” deal a group of 20 senators rolled out on Monday is the creation of a program aimed at eventually taxing Americans for every mile they drive. The concept known as the vehicle milage traveled (VMT) tax is not new, but it has recently gained traction as lawmakers seek new revenue sources for funding their massive $1.1 trillion plan.

Back in March, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg acknowledged the Biden administration’s interest in exploring implementing some form of a VMT to help fund infrastructure. “When you think about infrastructure, it’s a classic example of the kind of investment that has a return on that investment,” Buttigieg asserted. “A so-called vehicle-miles-traveled tax or milage tax, whatever you want to call it, could be a way to do it.”

The system of a federal gas tax intended to fund the Highway Trust Fund has fallen short of generating enough revenue, lawmakers claim, hence the desire to find another means of milking hardworking Americans. Never mind the fact that this massive “infrastructure” bill allocates $550 billion in new transportation spending even as the national debt has ballooned to a whopping $28 trillion. No tax will ever be enough for these spendthrifts.

However, beyond a potential national VMT on top of the current gas tax (of course they won’t end that revenue stream), there are concerns regarding Americans’ privacy rights. In order for a VMT to work, an elaborate tracking system would need to be developed — one that would essentially track everywhere Americans go. This has Fourth Amendment violations written all over it.

But why are lawmakers pushing a VMT? Well, Biden’s latest executive order may provide some of the answer. On Thursday, Biden issued an order setting 2030 as the target date for 50% of all new vehicles sold to be electric or carbon free. If, as Biden desires, 50% of new cars sold by 2030 are electric, then that represents a huge cut in gas tax revenue. The solution: tax vehicle milage.

The constitutional problems, meanwhile, are numerous. “If you can’t get the votes … you can’t [legislate] by executive order unless you’re a dictator,” Biden said in October. So much for that. Why wait for Congress when there’s a power grab to be made?

This is yet another case of the federal government abusing the Constitution’s Commerce Clause, seeking to direct and limit Americans’ purchasing freedom. Furthermore, it is a rejection of the concept of free market enterprise and its superior ability at technological innovation. When consumers are free to choose what they buy, they buy what works best for them, which may not be what those in positions of power would want. But that’s how a truly free society and free market economy operates.

What Biden will do is manipulate the market, in part by engaging in crony capitalism to prop up big businesses that have already heavily invested in EV technology. His order will ensure the purchase of their products while also limiting outside competition from startups.

Lost in all the feel-good high-fives over electric cars is the fact that our nation’s electrical grid cannot handle millions of additional electric vehicles without major overhauling and upgrading. Thus, as usual, the government’s “solution” to one problem will create another (big) one.

To be clear, the development of EV technology is not ultimately the problem, though EVs are not as clean as ecofascists would have you believe and there are hurdles to overcome. Rather, the problem is the government manipulating the market and mandating consumer choices. Technological innovation develops most efficiently when driven by free market forces, not government fiats.

Who We Are

The Patriot Post is a highly acclaimed weekday digest of news analysis, policy and opinion written from the heartland — as opposed to the MSM’s ubiquitous Beltway echo chambers — for grassroots leaders nationwide. More

What We Offer

On the Web

We provide solid conservative perspective on the most important issues, including analysis, opinion columns, headline summaries, memes, cartoons and much more.

Via Email

Choose our full-length Digest or our quick-reading Snapshot for a summary of important news. We also offer Cartoons & Memes on Monday and Alexander’s column on Wednesday.

Our Mission

The Patriot Post is steadfast in our mission to extend the endowment of Liberty to the next generation by advocating for individual rights and responsibilities, supporting the restoration of constitutional limits on government and the judiciary, and promoting free enterprise, national defense and traditional American values. We are a rock-solid conservative touchstone for the expanding ranks of grassroots Americans Patriots from all walks of life. Our mission and operation budgets are not financed by any political or special interest groups, and to protect our editorial integrity, we accept no advertising. We are sustained solely by you. Please support The Patriot Fund today!


The Patriot Post and Patriot Foundation Trust, in keeping with our Military Mission of Service to our uniformed service members and veterans, are proud to support and promote the National Medal of Honor Heritage Center, the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, both the Honoring the Sacrifice and Warrior Freedom Service Dogs aiding wounded veterans, the National Veterans Entrepreneurship Program, the Folds of Honor outreach, and Officer Christian Fellowship, the Air University Foundation, and Naval War College Foundation, and the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation. "Greater love has no one than this, to lay down one's life for his friends." (John 15:13)

★ PUBLIUS ★

“Our cause is noble; it is the cause of mankind!” —George Washington

Please join us in prayer for our nation — that righteous leaders would rise and prevail and we would be united as Americans. Pray also for the protection of our Military Patriots, Veterans, First Responders, and their families. Please lift up your Patriot team and our mission to support and defend our Republic's Founding Principle of Liberty, that the fires of freedom would be ignited in the hearts and minds of our countrymen.

The Patriot Post is protected speech, as enumerated in the First Amendment and enforced by the Second Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America, in accordance with the endowed and unalienable Rights of All Mankind.

Copyright © 2024 The Patriot Post. All Rights Reserved.

The Patriot Post does not support Internet Explorer. We recommend installing the latest version of Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, or Google Chrome.