Susan Walsh/AP
- President Joe Biden said Monday he plans to replace the “enormous fleet” of government vehicles with electric models.
- The switch will help create one million new autoworker jobs in the US, he said.
- Biden said he’ll change the rules that currently allow vehicles to be considered American-made even if they have parts made in other countries.
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President Joe Biden said on Monday his new administration will replace the US government’s fleet of around 650,000 vehicles with electric models in a bid to shift to clean energy.
Whilst signing a new “Buy American” executive order, Biden said: “The federal government also owns an enormous fleet of vehicles, which we’re going to replace with clean electric vehicles made right here in America made by American workers.”
It’s unclear when the electric vehicles will rollout and which models they will be. Reuters reported it could cost $20 billion or more to fully replace the fleet. The White House didn’t immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.
Biden, 78, said the fleet replacement will help create one million new jobs in the American auto industry.
“This will be the largest mobilization of public investment and procurement, infrastructure and R&D, since World War II,” said Biden, who was sworn into office on January 20.
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The 46th President of the US criticized the current rules that allow vehicles to be considered American-made when bought by the US government even if they carry components which come from other countries.
The current standards require at least half a vehicle's parts to be US-made to be considered American, according to Biden.
"We're going to change that as well. The executive action I'm signing today will not only require the companies make more of their components in America, but that the value of those components is contributing to our economy, measured by things like a number of American jobs created and supported."