Trump hits the brakes on Biden admin’s EV charging network

The Trump administration announced Thursday that it is halting funding for the buildout of a Biden-era electric vehicle (EV) charger program.

The Department of Transportation said in a Thursday letter to transportation officials that it was pausing funding for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program, which was established by the Biden-Harris administration in November 2021 to deploy a network of EV chargers across the U.S. This marks the latest move from the Trump-Vance administration to overturn various Biden-era green energy policies.

While former President Joe Biden pledged to build a network of half a million EV chargers nationwide by 2030 through the NEVI program, the effort was marred by a slew of slowdowns. Notably, Biden’s EV charging program has thus far allocated a staggering $5 billion dollars in funding.

The DOT’s latest announcement comes after the agency announced on Jan. 28 that it had begun moving to overturn Biden’s stringent fuel economy standards for vehicles. Despite the Biden-Harris administration’s massive push for the adoption of EVs as part of Biden’s signature climate agenda, the U.S. EV market has faced lackluster consumer demand in recent years.

Since returning to the White House on Jan. 20, President Donald Trump has made several moves to revoke Biden-era energy policies, including signing an executive order to “unleash” American energy. Trump’s Department of Energy Chair Chris Wright signed his first secretarial order on Wednesday in a move to begin overturning several of Biden’s clean energy regulations.

While on the campaign trail, Trump promised to “revolutionize” the U.S. auto industry, also vowing to repeal Biden’s EV policies, calling them “insane.” Notably, a coalition of green energy activists and companies began lobbying on Capitol Hill Wednesday in an effort to protect the Biden-Harris administration’s green energy tax credits.

“We are utilizing the unique authority afforded under the NEVI Formula Program to ensure the Program operates efficiently and effectively and aligns with current U.S. DOT policies and priorities,” A DOT spokesperson said in a statement shared with the Daily Caller News Foundation. “During this process, no new obligations may occur under the Program, but reimbursement of existing obligations will continue in order to not disrupt current financial commitments.”

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