Transportation Sec. Buttigieg on replacing federal government vehicles with EVs
Published Date: 3/26/2021
Source: CNBC Television
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg joins "Squawk on the Street" to discuss President Joe Biden's goal to replace the government’s fleet of cars and trucks with electric vehicles assembled in the U.S. For access to live and exclusive video from CNBC subscribe to CNBC PRO: https://cnb.cx/2NGeIvi Pete Buttigieg, the transportation secretary, said Friday morning that the White House is weighing a variety of ways to finance what’s expected to be its multitrillion-dollar infrastructure proposals. Buttigieg, who spoke with CNBC’s Kayla Tausche, also argued that President Joe Biden’s forthcoming plans to rebuild U.S. roads, bridges and waterways would lead to a net gain for the U.S. taxpayer and not a net outlay. “When you think about infrastructure, it’s a classic example of the kind of investment that has a return on that investment,” he said. “That’s one of many reasons why we think this is so important. This is a jobs vision as much as it is an infrastructure vision, a climate vision, and more.” He also weighed in on several potential revenue-generating options to fund the project. He spoke fondly of a mileage levy, which would tax travelers based on how far they travel instead of on how much gasoline they consume. Democrats have slowly pivoted away from a gasoline tax amid a simultaneous, climate friendly effort to encourage consumers to drive electric cars. “I’m hearing a lot of appetite to make sure that there are sustainable funding streams,” the transportation secretary said. A mileage tax “shows a lot of promise if we believe in that so-called user-pays principle: The idea that part of how we pay for roads is you pay based on how much you drive.” BABs show “a lot of promise in terms of the way that we leverage that kind of financing. There have been ideas around things like a national infrastructure bank, too.” His remarks on Friday came a day after he implored Congress on Thursday to make a “generational investment” to improve the nation’s roads, bridges, and waterways and combat climate change and racial inequity. “There is near-universal recognition that a broader recovery will require a national commitment to fix and transform America’s infrastructure,” Buttigieg told the the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. » Subscribe to CNBC TV: https://cnb.cx/SubscribeCNBCtelevision » Subscribe to CNBC: https://cnb.cx/SubscribeCNBC » Subscribe to CNBC Classic: https://cnb.cx/SubscribeCNBCclassic Turn to CNBC TV for the latest stock market news and analysis. From market futures to live price updates CNBC is the leader in business news worldwide. The News with Shepard Smith is CNBC’s daily news podcast providing deep, non-partisan coverage and perspective on the day’s most important stories. Available to listen by 8:30pm ET / 5:30pm PT daily beginning September 30: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/09/29/the-news-with-shepard-smith-podcast.html?__source=youtube%7Cshepsmith%7Cpodcast Connect with CNBC News Online Get the latest news: http://www.cnbc.com/ Follow CNBC on LinkedIn: https://cnb.cx/LinkedInCNBC Follow CNBC News on Facebook: https://cnb.cx/LikeCNBC Follow CNBC News on Twitter: https://cnb.cx/FollowCNBC Follow CNBC News on Instagram: https://cnb.cx/InstagramCNBC https://www.cnbc.com/select/best-credit-cards/ #CNBC #CNBCTV