(The Center Square) – American national security is threatened by President Joe Biden’s “energy spending spree,” U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, says.
Under recent spending legislation such as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act, which both included increased spending and research into more sustainable energy sources, almost $83.6 billion will be going into 71 new department programs at the Department of Energy this year, almost doubling the department’s entire budget from last year of $44.3 billion.
Rodgers, R-Wash., pointed to concerns about an overreliance on supply chains from foreign powers, citing China Russia President Vladimir Putin’s control over Europe’s natural gas supply.
“This is our future if we continue to cede our energy and supply chain security to China,” she said at a Wednesday committee hearing.
The Biden administration says the funding is needed to further move the U.S. toward more renewable energy to combat the impacts of climate change.
But the administration’s green energy agenda “weakens American energy and national security and wastes American taxpayer dollars, which should be going towards supporting American jobs and innovation,” Rodgers said.
Rodgers also called what she says is a lack of transparency on where taxpayer dollars are going, saying “beginning in March of this year, we’ve requested that federal agencies, including the Department of Energy, provide monthly accounting of the funds they received under recent major spending legislation […] To date, we’ve received only one response from the DOE, and it was incomplete. This is unacceptable.”
The announced portfolio of projects from the Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains also gave Rodgers concern. The office, created in February 2022, planned to administer $12 billion in projects, with one of the new programs including a $200 million grant to Microvast, Inc., a battery company that performs the bulk of production in China, Rodgers said.
The company’s own filings said that “the PRC Government exerts substantial influence over the manner in which we must conduct our business activities and may intervene, at any time, and with no notice,” she added.
Rodgers said she found it “deeply troubling” that such a grant was approved for a company so influenced by the Chinese government using millions of American taxpayer dollars. The Department had recently decided not to move forward with the grant, but the reasoning for its approval in the first place remains unclear.
“Time and again we’ve requested information and testimony on how this happened, and time and again the Department failed to be accountable and transparent,” Rodgers said.
“It is time for the Department of Energy to start being transparent with this committee and the American people, who deserve every assurance that their tax dollars are not being funneled to China.”
Remember that when the disgraceful Barack Obama was president he, gave multi-millions of dollars to the new solar cell companies that he was promoting with taxpayers money. Then these same companies were giving the Obama re-election campaign millions of dollars back. Note that none of these companies are still in business.
Now that tinkerbell Barack Obama’s butt buddy is his obedient puppet president, we the taxpayers are being conned and deceived again by global warming and his green new deal. It is not about saving the planet. It is all about making money and control of the people. 🙁 🙁 🙁
Running $83.6 billion through the hands of the Biden Crime family is just another opportunity for them to get $8.36 billion Richer. Even when democrats lose elections, they and their party leave office so much richer for having known and abused the power. Just another Obama Solyndra taxpayer rip off but on a much higher scale. Had we prosecuted the rip off artists back when that happened they would not dare to do it again today. This is how great empires fall,,,,from corruption within, being run and assisted by guys like Hunter who are perceived as the smartest guy they know, but just in reality is just another crime threatening Caligula clone co-conspirator, fit to be erased by a patriotic Praetorian guard. Someday Joe and Hunter will threaten the wrong people to pay up or get destroyed, and it will be he and Joe who bite the bullet or swallow the incoming drone. Corrupt Biden men who cannot save for retirement but have to steal it are certainly not fit to save the planet
Remember Solyndra!!
“pointed to concerns about an overreliance on supply chains from foreign powers” (copied from the article). How about just smaller and more responsible gubment? Get rid of all the layers of bureaucracy and especially the 71 new DoE programs.
take a look at the united nations assault on fossil fuels for the near future world order.
no shipping no jet air flights no diesel trains and trucks and no gas powered cars and no natural or propane gas either.
with the exception of the new world order big wheels.
“It is time for the Department of Energy to start being transparent with this committee and the American people,
What a joke! This current administration and the BHO administration have NEVER been “TRANSPARENT” to the American People! At least Trump tried to be transparent, except on the things his DEEP State Staff lied to him about.
AND why should they CARE about what “WE demand”. THEY are the ones controlling ALL avenues of power. SO WHAT WE want, doesn’t matter to these tyrants.