Comer: Democrats Pushing Green New Deal Pipedreams on the Postal  Service  

Americans can’t afford to fill up their gas tanks let alone buy electric vehicles, but Democrats demand USPS buy them

WASHINGTON — House Committee on Oversight and Reform Ranking Member James Comer (R-Ky.) opened today’s hearing on “It’s Electric: Developing the Postal Service Fleet of the Future” by slamming Democrats for pushing costly and radical Green New Deal pipedreams on the Postal Service. He emphasized how Republicans are against mandates that ignore the Postal Service’s basic business needs and current financial situation.

In addition, Ranking Member Comer stressed the importance of hearing from Hunter Biden since he jeopardized America’s ability to manufacture electric vehicles by selling an African cobalt mine from a U.S. company to a Chinese company. Cobalt remains a critical component of electric car batteries and Hunter Biden’s “expertise” in the field could provide the Committee valuable insight. Since Democrats continue to abandon their oversight responsibilities, Comer concluded by emphasizing how Republicans will seek answers and accountability for the American people.            

Below are Ranking Member Comer’s remarks as prepared for delivery.

Thank you, Chairwoman Maloney, for calling this hearing today.

Madam Chairwoman, you and I just spent an entire year doing what many thought was impossible – crafting a postal reform bill that would become law.

And we succeeded – hopefully, the President will sign it into law soon.

The agreement worked, in large part, because for once we had a postmaster general with a business reform plan – a plan to do what Congress could never do: fix the Postal Service’s broken business model.

And my support, and the support of many Republicans, depended on Congress giving that plan a chance to succeed.

But the bill isn’t even law yet and Democrats are going back on the deal.

They want to mandate the Postal Service buy at least 75 percent electric vehicles – to be a guinea pig for their radical Green New Deal agenda.

In keeping with the majority’s pattern this Congress, today’s hearing is about how to spend more money instead of saving it.

While Republicans are not against the Postal Service acquiring electric vehicles, we are against mandates that ignore the business needs and the financial situation of the Postal Service. 

Republicans believe the Postal Service must be self-funded. This means the Postal Service should pay for its own capital needs – like purchasing new vehicles.

Meanwhile, Americans can’t afford to fill up their gas tanks let alone buy an electric vehicle. But that isn’t stopping Democrats from demanding your mailman has one.

There are many problems with the Democrats’ plan, but one could be access to the critical element needed to produce electric vehicle batteries. And the President’s own son has made access to it more difficult.

In 2016, Hunter Biden orchestrated the transfer of an African cobalt mine from an American company to a Chinese company, CEFC China Energy, dealing a severe blow to America’s access to cobalt.

Cobalt is one of the most important components of electric car batteries, solar panels and other forms of renewable energy, and the United States is losing to China in a contest to secure cobalt.

This is a national security threat and a blow to America’s ability to lead in green technology.

In fact, CEFC China Energy thought so much of Hunter Biden’s expertise that it paid entities controlled by Mr. Biden and his uncle $4.8 million for 14 months of work. 

What did China get for nearly $5 million? The American people deserve to know.

Since Mr. Biden is an “expert” in cobalt mining operations, Committee Republicans asked you to invite him here today to shine a light on the importance of cobalt to electric vehicle production.

Yet, Hunter Biden is not here today. It’s no wonder you didn’t want to invite him and he didn’t want to appear today.

Hunter Biden has profited in the short-term directly from America’s long-term loss and he doesn’t want to explain it to Congress and the American people. 

We need him to provide answers about the sale of an African cobalt mine that has greatly harmed our access to this critical element.

Oversight Republicans have repeatedly called for answers about Hunter’s suspicious foreign business dealings, including the sale of this mine. We still haven’t gotten any answers.

The American people deserve answers and accountability.

Since Hunter Biden didn’t show up today, we are going to hear from the Republican witness, Kenny Stein, who is the Policy Director at the Institute for Energy Research. Thank you for being here.

With that Madam Chair, I yield back.