Republicans in Congress are pushing back against President Biden’s efforts to have American drivers transition to electric-powered vehicles over the next decade.

A blog post from House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers claims that Biden and Democratic members of Congress are imposing higher costs on the vehicles and fuels currently used in the U.S., saying it limits transportation choices, and hands “China the keys to America's auto industry.”

“[EPA] proposes that two-thirds of the cars, nearly 70 percent of the cars by 2032 must be 100 percent battery electric, not hybrids, not plug-in hybrids, not hydrogen, not any other technology. 100 percent battery electric,” said Rodgers. “That's China's goal, that's China's agenda. Since when is the United States of America following China's lead?”

President Biden who previously announced a goal of having 50 percent of all new vehicle sales be electric by 2030, in April the White House revealed public and private commitments to support a transition to electric vehicles under a program dubbed the EV Acceleration Challenge.

The White House credits its initiatives with tripling electric vehicle sales and increasing the number of publicly available charging ports by over 40 percent. There are now more than three million EVs on the road and over 135,000 public EV chargers across the country, according to the Biden administration.

But according to Rodgers, China controls most of the critical mineral mining, processing, and manufacturing for electric vehicles, and it will continue to do so through 2032.

Rodgers says China produces around 75 percent of all lithium-ion batteries and controls the processing and refining capacity for over half of the world's lithium, cobalt, and graphite.

“By 2032, approximately 67 percent of all forecasted battery cell manufacturing is expected to be controlled by China,” says Rodgers.

“China's stranglehold on these critical parts of the EV supply chain is giving it more and more control over the global market while allowing Chinese manufacturers to offer increasingly competitive rates for their EVs,” according to Chair Rodgers.

Adding to the issue, Rodgers notes that China announced earlier this month that they would be restricting exports to the U.S. of several minerals that are critical for EVs.

“These will further strengthen China's foothold in the American auto industry and could lead to vehicles from China being one of the only affordable options left for Americans by 2035,” says Rodgers who supports the proposed Preserving Choice in Vehicle Purchases Act, which would prevent prohibitions on the sale of internal combustion engine vehicles.

Additionally, the Choice in Automobile Retail Sales Act of 2023, would stop the imposition of stricter emission standards on vehicles.