The White House’s Office of Management and Budget told the Transportation Department on Tuesday to disregard a ruling by the Government Accountability Office that the Trump administration violated the law by freezing electric vehicle funding.
Mark Paoletta, OMB’s general counsel, in a letter to DOT called the congressional watchdog’s ruling “wrong and legally indefensible.”
The letter responds to the GAO’s report that found DOT broke the law by withholding money already approved by Congress for the $5 billion National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program, which was funded by the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law.
Paoletta contends DOT’s recording of obligations for the NEVI program complied with the statutory language that created the program and was aligned with DOT past practices regarding other highway formula programs. He also argues DOT didn’t violate the Impoundment Control Act by rescinding the Biden administration’s NEVI program guidance and “temporarily pausing new obligations until new guidance could be issued.”
