Rep. Nancy Mace has asked the Trump administration to release roughly $285 million in climate funding approved under President Joe Biden to help finance a Mercedes-Benz plant in her state in its efforts to convert to manufacturing electric vehicles, according to a letter she wrote to Energy Secretary Chris Wright.
In the letter, sent privately to Wright on Tuesday and obtained by The Washington Post, the South Carolina Republican asked that the funds be released for the Mercedes-Benz Vans plant, located north of Charleston, because the project will add 800 jobs in her area, the newspaper reported Saturday.
The funding is part of a $1.8 billion program approved during the Biden administration in 2022 through the Inflation Reduction Act to help at-risk auto plants make electric vehicles and convert supply chains.
However, the Trump administration has been pushing to withhold funding for the Biden-era climate programs, as well as to repeal hundreds of billions of dollars for clean energy incentives in its "big, beautiful bill" under discussion in the Senate.
The South Carolina Mercedes plant plans to produce a light-duty electric van prototype, which Mace said in her letter will add jobs and capital to the Charleston region — much of which she represents — and would "ensure America-made options remain available in the commercial vehicle sector.”
She added that while she continues to support President Donald Trump's initiative to cut waste and fraud in government, "we believe that federal investments should continue to prioritize projects with sustained economic growth."
Mace spokeswoman Sydney Long said in a statement that securing the grant means a "major opportunity" for South Carolina.
She added that the congresswoman has been "incredibly successful" in securing grant money, while she's "always raised concerns about reckless federal spending."
"But once the money is out the door, she's always fought to bring jobs and investment home to South Carolina," said Long. "Congresswoman Mace has repeatedly stated South Carolina's tax dollars matter just as much as anyone else's. The $285 million grant tied to up to 800 jobs at the Mercedes-Benz Vans plant in North Charleston is a major opportunity for South Carolina."
Meanwhile, the Energy Department said it's undergoing a department-wide review to determine that all its activities "follow the law, comply with applicable court orders and align with the Trump administration's priorities" and that the administration has a "mandate" to restore "American Energy Dominance."
Trump, shortly after taking office, signed an executive order to pause the disbursement of funding approved through the Inflation Reduction Act, along with other climate-related money from the bipartisan infrastructure law that was approved earlier in the Biden administration.
Republicans in Congress have supported efforts to rescind the clean energy funds, but Democrats say Trump's fight against clean energy funding is leading GOP lawmakers to hurt their own constituents.
According to an analysis last year by the bipartisan E2 group, roughly 85% of the money unlocked by the 2022 law was invested in Republican districts.
More than a dozen House Republicans have called on the Senate to preserve the clean energy initiatives in the pending legislation, but Mace was not among them.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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