Today President Biden invoked the Defense Production Act (again) in order to increase the manufacturing of solar panels, which won’t necessarily come as exciting news to people spending a hundred bucks for a tank of gas in many parts of the country:
President Joe Biden ordered emergency measures Monday to increase U.S. manufacturing of solar panels and declared a two-year tariff exemption on panels from Southeast Asia as he attempted to jumpstart an industry key to his climate change-fighting goals.
His invoking of the Defense Production Act and other executive actions comes amid complaints by industry groups that the solar sector is being slowed by supply chain problems due to an ongoing Commerce Department inquiry into possible trade violations involving Chinese products.
The Commerce Department announced in March that it was scrutinizing imports of solar panels from Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia, concerned that products from those countries are skirting U.S. anti-dumping rules that limit imports from China.
During today’s briefing, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked what “emergency” is being addressed by Biden invoking the Defense Production Act to make more solar panels, and the Big Book of Talking Points was consulted for another non-answer:
A reporter asks what emergency has prompted Joe Biden to invoke the Defense Production Act to build solar panels.
KJP: "The president, when he takes the Defense Production Act, it's to make sure that he's delivering for the American people." pic.twitter.com/2VvkU9Cr9c
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) June 6, 2022
And if that wasn’t enough dodging, the spin continued:
KJP: The emergency that allows Biden to invoke authority under the Tariff Act is "a threat to the availability of sufficient electricity generation capacity to meet expected customer demand." pic.twitter.com/jEULGQQCIy
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) June 6, 2022
.@JacquiHeinrich: "On solar panels, how is this not a gift to Chinese solar manufacturers, many of whom operate with forced labor and are subsidized by the Chinese Communist Party?"
KJP: This "is about one country and one country alone, and it's about the United States." pic.twitter.com/PMU8ChaaqO
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) June 6, 2022
Narrator: It’s also about China.
wow she is so bad at this https://t.co/xC5VUa5Q6b
— Abigail Marone 🇺🇸 (@abigailmarone) June 6, 2022
Maybe Jean-Pierre’s just trying to hang in there long enough so that she too can get a hefty MSNBC contract.
I almost miss Psaki. At least her deflections and evasion had some semblance of verbal skill. KJP has about as much verbal sparring and communication skill as as a potted plant.
Might as well have park an Amazon Echo up there and let reporters quiz it. Same thing. https://t.co/4NO4jayEuG
— Magnus (@JacksonTDawes) June 6, 2022
Nothing she just read is true. Where are the fact checkers??? https://t.co/7N9HTqo5lG
— Debbie Saunders (@DebbieS31513982) June 6, 2022
Do these geniuses even KNOW what the Defense Production Act is supposed to be? https://t.co/ZkgOdoqtRi
— Marty Perry (@Marty_prr) June 6, 2022
Perhaps there was an “emergency” that Jean-Pierre couldn’t admit to:
The emergency is the midterms. Somebody wanted to get paid before them. And now they will. https://t.co/DHa0jC733X
— Oilfield Rando (@Oilfield_Rando) June 6, 2022
Not unlike Solyndra, which didn’t last long but that doesn’t mean some people didn’t have a big payday.
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