The lame-duck session of the U.S. Congress will not pass self-driving car or electric-car tax credit legislation this year. Both topics will be punted to the new Congress in 2019.
Reuters reported neither hot-button issue for automakers will pass after numerous senators conceded the only way they would have was if they were attached to a bill introduced to continue funding the government through Feb. 2019. Congress introduced the bill Wednesday as a partial government shutdown looms.
Automakers have lobbied hard for both pieces of legislation to pass, but both topics stalled in 2018. The House of Representatives passed framework legislation to speed up the introduction of self-driving cars in 2017, but the legislation stalled in the Senate since. Proposals on how to handle the electric-car tax credit have also been introduced in both the House and Senate, though neither has made their way forward. The proposals vary in how they would extend the credit, with one calling for the end of the tax credit altogether.
Both topics will be brought up again in 2019, the analysts expect a tougher time to get either piece of legislation passed as Democrats take control of the House, while the Senate remains in Republican control.
Republican Senator John Thune and Democratic Senator Gary Peters led the charge on self-driving car legislation this past year and said they’d continue work on passing a law next year. Senator Peters warned China and South Korea could overtake the U.S. in the budding technology if the U.S. government doesn’t lay the groundwork for autonomous cars now.
As for the tax credit, Tesla will be the first automaker to lose the $7,500 credit beginning Jan. 1, 2019. General Motors is expected to reach the 200,000-vehicle cap early next year. Then, the credit will drop to $3,750 before it completely phases out over a year.
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Annnnd – Congress wins the 2018 Ray Guy Award for punting everything from here all the way to February.
too much winning.
despite trump’s bluster, he didn’t really want to take responsibility for shutting down the government over his wall.
next year will be more winning.
the house subpoena cannon is getting loaded for the new year.
Triggered little Stevie? Need a safe space? How about a teddy bear and some ice cream?
Under President Trump:
LOWEST UNEMPLOYMENT FOR AFRICAN AMERICANS EVER…Check!
LOWEST UNEMPLOYMENT FOR HISPANIC AMERICANS EVER…Check!
60-YEAR LOW FOR WOMEN…Check!
GDP AT 4.2% AND GROWING FAST EVEN THOUGH FAKE NEWS SAID IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE…Check!
MANUFACTURING INVESTMENT AND GROWTH AT A 30-YEAR HIGH…Check!
LARGEST TAX CUTS IN HISTORY HELPING AVERAGE AMERICANS…Check!
SMALL-BUSINESS SENTIMENT AND CONFIDENCE AT 40-YEAR HIGHS…Check!
STOCK MARKET (and your pensions!) AT RECORD LEVELS, SETTING OVER 100 RECORD HIGHS SINCE TRUMP ELECTED PRESIDENT…Check!
NORTH KOREA, WHICH NO PREVIOUS “SMART” PRESIDENT COULD EVER CONTROL…NOW CONTROLLED BY TRUMP AND NO MORE MISSLES OR NUCLEARN TESTING…Check!
CHINESE ECONOMY LOSING THE TRUMP TRADE WAR, ECONOMY DROPPING…AMERICAN ECONOMY BOOMING…Check!
ILLEGAL IMMGRATION DOWN OVER 90% AT THE SOUTHERN BORDER…CARAVAN FAILED TO GET IN…Check!
THE WALL IS NOT ONLY GETTING BUILT NOW BUT WILL BE BUILT BY THE MILITARY IN THE NEW YEAR…Check!
NO RUSSIAN COLLUSION 9a lot of Fake News though) AND PRESIDENT TRUMP WILL NEVER BE IMPEACHED…Check!
I could go on but don’t want to shame you anymore.
You are right, President Trump just keeps on WINNING! For the sore losers, time to Move On…
The President has ordered all mirrors to be removed from the White House. All good men and women with leadership always take responsibility for the actions of their team, both good and bad. This President is always looking who to blame on his failures and not himself. Without mirrors he had no clue.
About everything thing you list is all false. The southern border restrictions were imposed during the Obama years and not one inch of wall has been built and it will not. There is no money.
I live in Tijuana, Mexico, and I’ve seen more reality than the president has. There has not been rally’s south of the border, there has not been intimidation to border patrol. I drive past the area in which the immigrants sleep, every morning on my way back to San Diego. They’re sleeping in tents. They’ve been peaceful. They’re not causing any harm. There is no need for a border wall. People are not ‘hopping’ the border like the media paints a picture of. —your point is false and invalid-
Also, for North Korea, they still have their nuclear testing site, and has said that they will not denuclearize until the US is no longer a nuclear threat ourselves. —your point is false and invalid.—
Stock market at its all-time high? Are you fu**ing kidding me? Stock market closed 200pts below yesterday, and tech stocks have taken a beating because of the trade wars our president has created. He’s hurting American companies. Lowest unemployment rate? Ha! Tell that to those being laid off from GM, and Ford. Oh, what about Carrier in Northern Indiana, that was given tax incentives, and other federal subsidies to retain jobs and to retain business? Forget that?
Again, your point is false and invalid. The president has done little to nothing to help the US’ economy, it’s Citizens, and the world.
“Zach”
For decades Clinton, Bush, and Nobama poured billions down the drain of American taxpayer money and talked a big game about North Korea…And FAILED. President Trump comes in within a year or so and silences North Korea – no more nuke tests, no more missile tests that were happening every other week, no more nuclear scare in Asia and the world, just PEACE.
Sorry, but YOUR point is false and invalid. No matter how much you try to spin the facts and simply lie you cant change the fact that President Trump won and you failed. The American people (and the world like the Yellow Jacket protests) are starting to wake up and realize they have been lied to by the media and people like you for decades. No more.
http://Qmap.pub for all the facts.
Donald J. Trump
Verified account
@realDonaldTrump
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Soon to be Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, last week live from the Oval Office, that the Republicans didn’t have the votes for Border Security. Today the House Republicans voted and won, 217-185. Nancy does not have to apologize. All I want is GREAT BORDER SECURITY!
Just sayin’…
George, apologies. My comment wasn’t for you. It’s for GMunionguy
Good to see you couldn’t find answer to the FACTS the GM union dude laid out. All political spin and bs. No wonder you lost the election.
Keep doing it and President Trump will win again easily in 2020.
P.S. Border wall just got funded by Congress! Though you said that would never happen again. Our President just keeps on winning…
It is here…
http://Qmap.pub
.
Passed the HouseThursday. Goes to Senate Friday.
So border wall funding hasn’t passed Congress yet.
could you reframe that in the form of a tweet please?
my meth/opoid addled brain can only process 280 characters at one time.
thanks, your pal steve.
And the sore loser award goes to……
Ummm, there was never any agenda to handle these issues this year so don’t know what is news here besides just filling space near the holidays.
And given that the country is in debt up to its eyeballs and GM just cut 15,000 from the same people who saved its butt with their hard-earned tax money, to the tune of $12 billion plus!, we don’t need anymore tax credits for big government-connected corporations. Period.
GmUnionguy! How many sedans have you bought in the last ten years?
Zero. Russian bots can’t drive.
Really not sure if the tax credits did what they are suppose to do, make EV’s attractive as an alternative fuel vehicle and give the manufactures some reason to develop EV’s. Problem is they’re placed in small sedans. Why didn’t GM put the Volt technology in a Equnoix? Volt always got good reviews and excellent quallity. Owners just love them but how many ever tried to get into one of them?
Someday the price of gas will go north to the $4-$5 range along with shortages of fossil fuels and that will have a bigger impact than any government incentive.
George S: My guess is the VOLT technology would not give sufficient range in a larger platform, or it simply could not be fit in to the platform, or of course GM screwed up, I give 33.3% likelihood to all three.
Agreed, who can be comfortable in a Volt?
For your consideration: gas will go up and down like all commodities do. I would remind you that raw materials that make batteries are also a commodity as well, and supply is finite. Additionally, lets be clear about the true cost of charging these batteries and cost of infrastructure before we throw the baby out with the bath water.
We are addicted to larger cars here in the USA. Show me a F-150 or Silverado electric with 250+ miles per charge and I am in as long as it does not cost 2X.
Not sure why I railed on you I hope you take it as conversation and not criticism. I am a huge fan of EV’s but I am pragmatic, as I think you and others are
PS thanks for not going all Politico on me. Cheers
the volt is not a zero emissions vehicle so it does not meet some state laws and GM will not get the full ZEV credits they need to sell pickups and large SUVs selling volts. also the tax credit means you had to have $7500 in taxes to pay to be able to use it and only rich people meet this limit so middle class people taxes were paying for this rebate but not being able to use it.
Motorman completely right whether these people want to hear it or not. Volt is the best commuter car ever, only the price held it back. I wouldn’t change but one thing…..Now that I’m addicted I’ll totally make it’s replacement a BEV. GM knows this and apparently agrees. Sure would like to see our unions keep working on something though.