Chris Lange, FISM News
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm is under fire once again for being out of touch with the problems Americans are facing under crushing inflation.
The latest round of criticism follows an appearance on “Fox News Sunday” yesterday during which Granholm touted a 30% tax break on solar panels for low- and middle-income households as a means of providing relief to families struggling to make ends meet amid persisting inflation woes.
Granholm said the Democrats’ $437 billion climate spending package, also known as the Inflation Reduction Act, will give low- and middle-income families thousands in tax rebates to install solar panels in their homes.
“If you are low income, you can get your home entirely weatherized through the expansion from the bipartisan infrastructure laws, a significant expansion — you don’t have to pay for anything,” Granholm said, adding that families with “moderate income” will receive a 30% discount off the price of solar panels.
“Those solar panels can be financed, so you don’t have to have the big outlay at the front … it’s a significant incentive,” she continued.
Republicans were quick to slam the remarks as further proof that the Biden administration is out of touch with the struggles Americans are facing, including bearing the brunt of near 40-year-high inflation that shows no signs of slowing in the near future.
Following the Fox interview, Ohio’s Republican Senate nominee J.D. Vance tagged his Democratic opponent, Rep. Tim Ryan, in a social media post with a link to the Granholm clip.
If you’re poor, Tim Ryan will give you 30 percent off the price of solar panels. They won’t keep you warm this winter but they are made in China, so there’s that. https://t.co/UatdBWSu9p
— J.D. Vance (@JDVance1) August 21, 2022
Vance’s missive was retweeted by RNC Research, which separately posted a video clip of Granholm touting the “enormous” savings Americans could enjoy if they purchased electric vehicles, pointing out that “the average cost of an electric vehicle is $67,000,” a figure most Americans can’t afford.
This isn’t the first time Granholm has been called out for being tone deaf to the concerns of average Americans weighed down by the burden of soaring costs on just about everything they buy.
Conservative media outlets lambasted her for laughing in response to a question about lifting restrictions on domestic oil production amid rising gas prices during an interview last November.
“That is hilarious,” Granholm said, laughing, when “Bloomberg Surveillance” host Tom Keene asked if the Biden administration would consider increasing oil production in the U.S. to lower fuel costs for Americans.
“Would that I had the magic wand on this,” Granholm continued. “As you know, of course, oil is a global market. It is controlled by a cartel. That cartel is called OPEC.”
Granholm was also subjected to ridicule for suggesting in February that harnessing wind and solar power as alternative energy sources could bring about world peace as the threat of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine loomed.
“All of this underscores the benefits of clean energy,” she argued. “This is not just an energy and climate issue, it is also potentially the greatest peace plan that ever existed.”
Granholm’s motives in her push for clean energy were called into question in late May when the Washington Free Beacon reported that she sold hundreds of thousands of shares in Proterra, an electric vehicle manufacturer backed by the Biden administration. Granholm later confirmed that she made a $1.6 million profit from the sale of her shares.