© Reuters. On January 27, 2023, Tesla CEO Elon Musk and his security personnel depart the company’s local office in Washington, USA. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
By Nandita Bose, David Shepardson, Raphael Satter
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk met with two senior White House officials in Washington on Friday to discuss how automakers and Democratic President Joe Biden are working together to build electric vehicles. and accelerate the electrification of the U.S. automobile network.
Musk met with Democratic supporter John Podesta, Biden’s senior adviser on clean energy innovations, and Mitch Landrieu, who oversees infrastructure spending, according to the White House. The billionaire and Biden have often clashed over political and labor issues.
A White House spokesperson told Reuters, “John Podesta and Mitch Landrieu met with Elon Musk to discuss their shared goals on electrification and the bipartisan infrastructure and inflation reduction bills that will support the production and charging of electric vehicles. , and how we can advance the broader causes of electrification.”
On Twitter, Musk responded to Reuters’ initial exclusive report that he had met with officials: “True.”
White House Press Secretary Carine Jean-Pierre later confirmed that the meeting had taken place, adding that Mr. Musk had never met Mr. Biden personally. The meeting shows Biden’s commitment to electric vehicles and the importance he attaches to the infrastructure and anti-inflation laws passed last year, she said.
“I think it’s important that his[Biden’s]team and senior members of his team met with Elon Musk today to do just that.”
Reuters witnesses on Friday watched Podesta, Landrieu and Musk enter a downtown building that houses both Tesla (NASDAQ:) Washington lobbying and the Center for American Progress, a think tank Podesta founded. saw. Landrieu and Podesta left about half an hour later and did not answer questions.
Musk left about 45 minutes after Podesta and Landrieu. He also ignored questions from Reuters reporters.
Musk also met on Friday with Republican Rep. James Comer and Rep. Jim Jordan, who chair the House Judiciary and Oversight Committees. On Thursday, he met with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and briefly greeted House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries.
Biden, Musk Tensions
The relationship between Mr. Biden, who has pushed companies to use unionized labor, and Mr. Musk, who has pushed to keep unions out of factories, often seems at odds.
Musk last year called Biden a “wet puppet in human form” after Biden highlighted EV production by GM and Ford in tweets last year, but left out Tesla.
After repeatedly complaining that Musk was being ignored, Biden has only publicly acknowledged Tesla’s role in US electric car manufacturing for more than a year in office.
In June, Biden compared Tesla against Ford and sarcastically wished Musk “a lot of luck” on “Journey to the Moon” after the billionaire expressed reservations about the economy.
Still, Musk has long-standing and important relationships with the U.S. government that continue under the Biden administration.
Tesla has benefited from tax subsidies given to buyers of electric vehicles, and Musk’s rocket company, SpaceX, will transport astronauts and cargo to and from the International Space Station and the lunar lander. contracts worth billions of dollars to build
U.S. consumers who bought a Tesla again this month are eligible for a consumer tax credit of up to $7,500 under the $430 billion U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) passed last August. Earlier tax credits for Tesla buyers expired after the automaker sold its first 200,000 cars in the US.
The law imposes a requirement that EVs eligible for the tax credit must be made in North America. There are also caps on the vehicle price and income of eligible buyers for the credit.
The law also sets new battery procurement limits, which are expected to come into effect in March. That includes new US battery production credits, which Musk said earlier this week could bring big profits to the company.