VP Kamala Harris visits Detroit to announce $100 million for auto parts manufacturers to prepare for EVs
(CBS DETROIT) - Vice President Kamala Harris spoke in Detroit on Monday to announce $100 million for small and medium-sized auto manufacturers to upgrade their facilities to prepare for the production of electric vehicles.
Harris visited the Charles H. Wright of African American History and joined Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su and other officials to announce the funding.
This includes $50 million from the Department of Energy's Automotive Conversion Grants program for small and medium-sized suppliers to convert from making internal combustion engine parts to making parts for EVs.
The funding from the program will "keep good, good-paying and union jobs in the same communities as automakers and auto suppliers transition to electric vehicle manufacturing here in America," according to the release from the White House.
Another $50 million is provided through its Industrial Assessments Center Implementation Grants Program to help suppliers "improve their facilities' energy and material efficiency, cybersecurity, or productivity, or reduce the greenhouse gas emissions."
In addition, Harris announced a new program from the Small Business Administration to help manufacturers diversify their businesses and to provide lines of credit to small businesses, including auto parts manufacturers.
When Granholm visited Michigan in March, she announced a new workforce program to train battery manufacturers to prepare for EV production.
This comes after President Biden announced an electric vehicle hub in Michigan last month, which will focus on job training to prepare the workforce for EV jobs through partnerships with employers, community colleges and high schools.
The visit is part of the Harris' tour, where she highlights how the administration has erased medical debt, forgiven student loan debt, made investments in small businesses, creating jobs for underserved communities and more.
Harris last visited Michigan when she traveled to Grand Rapids in February. Both Mr. Biden and former President Donald Trump have made multiple visits this year to gain support from voters in Michigan, a key battleground state in the 2024 election.
Trump recently visited Freeland on May 1, where he said the judge presiding over his trial was "crooked" after being held in contempt of court for violating a gag order.
Mr. Biden was announced as the keynote speaker for an NAACP dinner in Detroit on May 19 but was recently in Michigan in March. He visited Saginaw, although community leaders criticized him for not meeting with enough Black community members and skipping a planned visit to a Black church.
