Ford Motor Company recently announced that it would slash nearly 4,000 jobs in Europe as the company’s shifts to electric vehicle (EV) production. That’s an ominous sign of things to come for our domestic auto industry. The Biden Administration’s green-at-any-cost mission is to inflate EV sales to at least 50 percent of new American car sales by 2030 (they only made up 6 percent last year).

The facts are: EVs and green energy sources rely heavily on rare earth metals to produce their components. And, China dominates 63 percent of the world’s rare earth mining, 85 percent of rare earth processing, and 92 percent of rare earth magnet production. In recent years, China supplied nearly 80% of the rare earths imported by the U.S. alone.

And, that’s why the EV gamble is such a dangerous game for the U.S. The American auto industry supports nearly 2 million American jobs—from manufacturing to parts supplying to servicing vehicles. Our auto industry pumps billions of dollars into our economy and reliably keeps Americans on the road getting where they need to be.

This cherished American institution is much too important to just hand over to China for a green pipe dream. For more information about how protecting American energy is key to protecting American independence, check out TEA’s Common Sense Energy Agenda.