White House move could chill EV funding
A political proposal reported on social could freeze a $5 billion U.S. EV charger fund—an action that would directly affect federal incentives and installer demand if enacted. The policy noise is adding uncertainty to publicly funded charger deployment. (x.com/Reuters/status/2033767821927141683)
Twenty state attorneys general filed coordinated comments on March 16, 2026 opposing the Federal Highway Administration’s proposal to require “up to” 100% U.S. content for EV chargers, submitting those comments to Docket No. FHWA-2025-0070. (illinoisattorneygeneral.gov (illinoisattorneygeneral.gov)) The Federal Register published a Notice of Proposed Modification on February 12, 2026 that asked whether the existing February 21, 2023 Buy America waiver for EV chargers—which implemented a 55% domestic-content threshold—should be continued, modified, or discontinued, and it set a public-comments deadline of March 16, 2026. (federalregister.gov (federalregister.gov)) U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy unveiled the change in a February 10, 2026 DOT statement that said raising the Buy America threshold to 100% would “strengthen domestic manufacturing,” create American jobs, and address cybersecurity concerns tied to foreign-made EV-charger components. (transportation.gov (transportation.gov)) The states’ filing cites the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and says shifting from the phased 55% standard to 100% would undermine planning and financial commitments for the NEVI formula program and Charging and Fueling Infrastructure grants and “make it impossible for manufacturers to achieve” the new threshold. (illinoisattorneygeneral.gov (illinoisattorneygeneral.gov); reuters.com (msn.com)) FHWA’s notice explicitly says the proposed modification would apply to EV chargers purchased or installed with FHWA-administered funds—including projects under the NEVI program and federal-aid highway projects—and that any final change would take effect for acquisitions made after the waiver decision. (federalregister.gov (federalregister.gov)) Advocacy and industry responses tracked by environmental groups and law firms warn the 100% rule risks stalling deployment because U.S. domestic-manufacturing capacity for complete chargers is limited, and they predict supply-chain bottlenecks and installation delays for federally funded projects. (sierraclub.org (sierraclub.org); morganlewis.com (morganlewis.com))
