Electric Vehicle Subsidies Publication: Congressional Record Speaker: Senator John Barrasso Date: 9 October 2025 Subject: American Government , Electric Vehicles

Mr. President, on a separate matter, I want to talk about something else.

In July, President Trump signed into law the working-families tax cut. That legislation stopped a $4 trillion tax increase, it secured our border, it unleashed American energy, and it slashed wasteful Washington spending.

I thought one of the most egregious subsidies we eliminated was the electric vehicle tax credits. Under Joe Biden, Washington provided lucrative, luxury tax credits to prop up EV sales. The Biden car bribes forced working families to subsidize vehicles that people didn't want, couldn't afford, and weren't very practical in my State.

I have fought against these costly EV handouts for years. I introduced bills to repeal them, and I was joined by my Republican colleagues. I especially want to recognize the senior Senator from Ohio, Senator Bernie Moreno.

Hard-working families should not be forced to bankroll luxury vehicles for wealthy elites. Republicans in Congress acted decisively. We terminated the EV tax credits. We deliberately chose September 30 as the end date for the subsidies. This quick termination meant significant savings for taxpayers--$200 billion in savings over the next 10 years.

But, as the saying goes, the price of liberty is eternal vigilance. In Washington, we have to follow up and fight to protect taxpayers and taxpayer dollars even when the intent of Congress is clear. That is where I really want to point out the hard work of Senator Moreno, because that is what the Republicans are doing.

In recent weeks, Senator Moreno and I read troubling news. There was a last-ditch effort to game the system in the final days before the cutoff date. We immediately wrote to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to alert him about the issue and to address the problem. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, who is chairman of the Commerce Committee, also raised his concern with the Treasury Department about the subsidies.

Major car companies responded to the letter, and they changed their policies, and I encourage all companies to follow their lead.

Republicans are going to continue to protect taxpayers and ensure these subsidies are gone for good. Here is the reality: The subsidies were never needed in the first place. Look at what has happened since Congress ended them. Tesla has actually lowered its prices. They have done it by stripping out luxury features, like vegan leather seats and ambient lighting. Hyundai slashed nearly $10,000 off of their Georgia-built model. This is precisely how fair market competition works.

Americans elected Republicans to end Washington wasteful spending. We are keeping our word.

So I am going to continue to work with my Senate colleagues and the Trump administration to keep this loophole closed, to enforce the law, and to protect hard-working taxpayers.

I yield the floor.