Peters Statement Ahead of President Biden’s Visit to Detroit

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) released the following statement ahead of President Biden’s visit to Michigan to highlight investments in electric vehicle manufacturing at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. As Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Senator Peters will be chairing a two-panel hearing tomorrow on social media’s impact on homeland security.

“There’s simply no better place to talk about the future of the auto industry than where it was established: the Motor City. President Biden’s visit reaffirms our shared commitment to driving auto innovation forward and his understanding that Michigan workers will pave the way for continued American leadership in mobility and a future that is electric and autonomous. To solidify our global leadership, we have made much-needed investments in the auto sector and domestic manufacturing by passing into law the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Inflation Reduction Act, and CHIPS and Science Act.

“Together, these laws will invest electric vehicle manufacturing and infrastructure, strengthen our supply chains, lower costs for families, create good-paying jobs – including union jobs – and secure Michigan and our nation’s economic future. I’m proud of the progress we have made through these critical investments, and I’ll keep working with my colleagues and the Biden Administration to ensure Michigan continues to lead for generations to come.”

As Chairman of the Commerce Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, Peters has repeatedly highlighted how electric and autonomous vehicles present an opportunity to expand domestic manufacturing and create new jobs, while supporting existing transportation jobs—in addition to fostering American innovation. In his field hearing in Detroit earlier this year, Peters examined how Congress can bolster U.S. innovation for electric and autonomous vehicles by increasing domestic production of semiconductor chips and other technologies, while also delivering economic, environmental, and safety benefits for the American people. Peters has raised these issues with the Biden Administration directly – including a recent conversation with Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg prior to the Auto Show on the future of the auto industry and the promise of autonomous vehicles. This follows a Peters-led letter to the Department of Transportation that pressed for a need to develop a comprehensive federal framework for autonomous vehicles.

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