Rogers on saving 700 Michigan auto jobs: “I think it’s a bad investment.”
LANSING — Mike Rogers is opposed to a federal grant that saves 700 Michigan automotive jobs, calling it a “bad investment.” Rogers is playing partisan games at the expense of Michigan workers, and he has an extensive record of selling out Michigan workers.
Rogers backed free trade agreements that hurt Michigan workers, including NAFTA that contributed to Michigan “los[ing] nearly 300,000 manufacturing jobs since 2000.” Rogers is a “supporter” of NAFTA and “praised” it, saying “NAFTA is going to be good for America.”
“Mike Rogers is playing partisan games at the expense of Michigan workers. Rogers is opposed to saving 700 Michigan auto jobs because he cares more about scoring cheap political points than he does about working together to find real solutions,” said Michigan Democratic Party spokesperson Sam Chan.
See for yourself:
Detroit News: Rogers says $500M grant for building EVs at Michigan plant shouldn’t move forward
- U.S. Senate candidate Mike Rogers said Tuesday he does not think the federal government should move forward with a $500 million grant to aid the conversion of a General Motors Co. assembly plant in Lansing to producing electric vehicles.
- In July, President Joe Biden’s administration announced a $500 million grant for GM to subsidize the conversion of the Detroit automaker’s Lansing Grand River Assembly Plant into an EV plant.
- GM, which currently assembles its Cadillac CT4 and CT5 luxury sedans at the Lansing plant, has said it would invest $900 million in addition to the federal taxpayer assistance to turn Lansing Grand River Assembly into an EV plant.
- When asked Tuesday whether he supported the federal funding moving forward for converting the Lansing plant to EVs, Rogers replied, “No, I don’t think so.”
- “I just don’t think it will work. I think it’s a bad investment. We ought to step back and let the market fix this,” [he added.]
- “Those products are coming to an end, and the demand for those types of vehicles has waned over the last 20 years of that plant,” Fiorani said. “In order to keep those workers going, they’re going to have to come up with something new, and EVs make the most sense.”
- Sen. Debbie Stabenow, in a press conference Wednesday addressing recent statements on the federal funding for GM, said arguments warning of job losses due to the EV transition were an attempt to “plant fear” and “inaccurate.” The Lansing Democrat also dismissed arguments that the U.S. would be reliant on Chinese parts and mineral resources to capture a larger slice of EV sales market.
- Stabenow argued the state and federal grants seek to prop up an “EV economy” that addresses the entire supply chain — from minerals to parts to the actual vehicle — to help U.S. automakers compete with Chinese companies.
- “The strategy is you stop Chinese cars from coming in at the border right now while we build our own EV economy,” Stabenow said. “The battery plant, the rare earth materials, the other components and so on, we are building here so we can compete with what is essentially the Chinese government.”
- Rogers’ comments Tuesday came after Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance has not directly answered questions regarding whether a future Trump administration would honor Biden administration investments in EV manufacturing planned for Michigan, such as the $500 million investment in Lansing that is expected to retain 650 jobs and create 50 new jobs. On Tuesday, Vance referred to the $500 million grant as “table scraps” compared with the larger job losses he argued could be on the horizon as a result of the transition to electric vehicles.
- Rogers seemed to double down on that messaging when speaking to reporters after Tuesday’s debate in Grand Rapids, arguing U.S. electric vehicle manufacturers would still have to source a significant portion of parts and resources from China. H
Bridge Michigan: Michigan a top winner of climate funds Trump wants to revoke
- Few states have a greater stake in the debate than Michigan, which has won more IRA-funded projects than any other state, in part because the law focuses heavily on encouraging the automotive sector to produce electric vehicles.
- Much of the money has been funneled to the state’s auto industry to hasten the transition to electric vehicles. In addition to site-specific grants like the $500 million awarded to the Lansing GM plant, Michigan companies are expected to benefit heavily from IRA tax credits that support EV-related production and make it cheaper for consumers to buy EVs.
- Trump running mate JD Vance this month criticized the $500 million grant for Lansing’s Grand River Assembly Plant and would not commit to honoring the spending promised by the Biden administration. Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mike Rogers has called it a “bad investment” the federal government should reconsider.
- Experts say it would be virtually impossible to claw back money that has already left federal coffers, and difficult to garner the congressional support needed to repeal or rewrite the law.
See also: American Journal News: Republican Mike Rogers flip flop on trade raises questions about his commitment to Michigan workers, Michigan Independent: Mike Rogers says he supports UAW strike but fought against union consistently in Congress, Business Insider: 9 years through the revolving door: How the GOP’s top Senate recruit in Michigan got rich after leaving Congress, Fox 17: Union members throw support behind Slotkin in Grand Rapids, The Gander: Michigan leaders say Mike Rogers represents ‘everything people hate’ about politics.
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