Texas Republican Rep. and former Navy SEAL Dan Crenshaw criticized Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg as being “out of touch” over his comments that families who buy electric vehicles (EVs) will “never have to worry about gas prices again.”
Buttigieg made the controversial remark during an interview on MSNBC’s “The Sunday Show with Jonathan Capehart” this past Sunday.
“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,” Buttigieg said.
“They would gain the most by having that vehicle,” he added, “If we can make the electric vehicle less expensive for everybody, more people can take advantage, and we’ll be selling more American-made EVs, which means in time they’ll become less expensive to make and to buy for everybody.”
Buttigieg also discussed provisions in Biden’s social spending plan designed to financially incentivize people to purchase electric vehicles.
Crenshaw torched the comments as being “out of touch” with the reality of most Americans.
“Imagine being so out of touch that you think spending tens of thousands more on an electric car is easy for most people. 78% of EV subsidies go to those making six figures,” Crenshaw tweeted on Monday.
“And the rest of us still worry about gas prices, because gas affects the cost of literally everything,” he added.
Imagine being so out of touch that you think spending tens of thousands more on an electric car is easy for most people. 78% of EV subsidies go to those making six figures.
And the rest of us still worry about gas prices, because gas affects the cost of literally everything. https://t.co/mfwQzWiYEf
— Dan Crenshaw (@DanCrenshawTX) November 29, 2021
The news comes as the nation faces its highest gas prices in seven years. In response, the White House announced on Wednesday that the Department of Energy will release 50 million barrels of oil from the nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve “to lower prices for Americans and address the mismatch between demand exiting the pandemic and supply.”
The White House noted “this release will be taken in parallel with other major energy consuming nations including China, India, Japan, Republic of Korea and the United Kingdom.”
The announcement added 32 million barrels of oil and accellerated 18 million gallons Congress had previously authorized, according to the announcement.
Crenshaw was not alone in his criticism of Buttigieg’s comments.
“@SecretaryPete, do you mean families who *can afford to* buy electric vehicles?” South Dakota Republican Sen. John Thune tweeted on Tuesday.
“This couldn’t be more out of touch. Gas prices are at a 7-yr high and the Biden administration thinks that radical “Green New Deal” policies are the solution,” he added.
.@SecretaryPete, do you mean families who *can afford to* buy electric vehicles?
This couldn’t be more out of touch. Gas prices are at a 7-yr high and the Biden administration thinks that radical “Green New Deal” policies are the solution. https://t.co/4MBzwgfzZZ— Senator John Thune (@SenJohnThune) November 30, 2021
Wyoming Republican Sen. John Barrasso further criticized Biden’s use of the nation’s oil reserves as a move to “cover over bad policies” during a Fox News interview on Thursday.
“@POTUS is basically trying to put a band-aid over a bullet hole,” he tweeted.
Today is one of the busiest travel days in America. As people are hitting the road, gas prices are hitting the roof. The Strategic Petroleum Reserve is there for emergencies, not to cover over bad policies. @POTUS is basically trying to put a band-aid over a bullet hole. pic.twitter.com/PpozZvwent
— Sen. John Barrasso (@SenJohnBarrasso) November 28, 2021