Bipartisan Progress at Risk: Scholten Calls on Administration to Restore EV Infrastructure Funding
WASHINGTON – On February 11, U.S. Congresswoman Hillary Scholten (MI03) called on the Trump Administration to reverse its decision to suspend state electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure plans in a letter to Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, alongside her Democratic lawmakers on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Michigan received $110 million in grants for EV charging, and this decision undermines years of work and bipartisan progress in expanding EV infrastructure. It will also make it harder for families to access affordable EV charging, limiting transportation options for Michiganders.
“As Members of Congress, we will fiercely defend investments enacted on a bipartisan basis by elected officials from across the country,” wrote Rep. Scholten and her colleagues in the letter. “Actions taken by the Department over the last two weeks show a blatant disregard for Congress, for the law, for the state and for the local partners who deliver infrastructure projects, and for American workers. We strongly urge you to rethink and rescind this damaging action.”
On the letter, Scholten added, “The American people spoke through their elected representatives to allocate these funds so that American vehicle production can keep pace with the rest of the world–so we don’t let China edge us out of this market. The executive branch cannot now take that funding away. Americans want choice in their vehicle options and Republicans are trying to take that away.”
The National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program, established through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, was designed to strategically deploy EV charging infrastructure and establish a nationwide interconnected network to support clean transportation. Congress authorized and funded the program through fiscal year 2026, ensuring stability and certainty for states to implement their plans. The DOT’s abrupt policy change disregards Congress’s legislative authority, upends ongoing state and local efforts, and disrupts the federal highway funding process, which is meant to provide long-term consistency for transportation projects.
The sudden policy shift jeopardizes progress in reducing transportation costs for middle-class families, increasing access to cleaner travel options, and creating local jobs in infrastructure and manufacturing. Scholten and her colleagues are calling for the DOT to rescind this harmful action and work collaboratively with Congress to ensure the continued success of the NEVI program.
Full text of the letter is available here.
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