Twenty state attorneys general are pushing back against a Trump administration plan they say would effectively eliminate a $5 billion federal electric vehicle charging program by making its requirements impossible to meet.
The Democratic officials, representing states like California, Colorado, Arizona, New York, Virginia, Illinois and Michigan, argue that a Transportation Department proposal to increase “Buy America” standards from 55% to 100% for charging station components would be unachievable for manufacturers and would slow or stop federally-funded EV charger installation across the country.
Neither the Transportation Department nor the White House provided immediate responses to requests for comment on the criticism.
Earlier this year, federal Judge Tana Lin determined the Trump administration illegally paused funding designated for electric vehicle charging infrastructure expansion, ruling in favor of 20 Democratic-controlled states that challenged the action in court.
The group of Democratic attorneys general, along with Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, believe the Transportation Department’s new charging station content requirements represent another attempt to implement the president’s goal of stopping congressionally-approved EV infrastructure funding.
While the states back the concept of Buy America policies, they maintain the Transportation Department’s specific proposal cannot be implemented in practice.
“There are currently no 100% domestically produced chargers available for purchase, there is not enough demand for 100% domestically produced chargers to justify investing in domestic production, and some critical components of the chargers are simply not produced in the United States,” the officials wrote in their letter.
The legal challenge followed the Transportation Department’s suspension of the $5 billion National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program, which originated from infrastructure legislation passed by Congress in 2021 during Joe Biden’s presidency.
The new standards would become effective immediately after final approval. Environmental group Sierra Club characterized the proposal as another disingenuous effort by the Trump administration to eliminate the program and block fund usage.
The current administration has implemented multiple policies aimed at increasing gasoline vehicle sales while reducing electric vehicle benefits for both manufacturers and buyers.
Congressional legislation passed in January redirected $879 million previously allocated under Biden for EV charging networks toward different infrastructure projects.
