Congress moves to kill federal EV charging network, defunding infrastructure nationwide
S. 651 — Unplug the Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Programs Act · Filed by Joni Ernst (R-IA) · 2 cosponsors · Introduced Feb 20, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill repeals two federal programs that fund electric vehicle charging infrastructure: the charging and fueling infrastructure grant program and the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program. It eliminates authorization for these grants, strikes the grant program from law, rescinds unobligated funds already appropriated for NEVI, and terminates the NEVI program going forward, barring any further spending on it.
Why we flagged it
The bill's sole operative function is to eliminate two federal programs that fund electric vehicle charging infrastructure by repealing authorizations, striking grant mechanisms, rescinding unobligated funds, and terminating ongoing programs.
What the text implies
- Rescission of unobligated NEVI funds returns money to the Treasury rather than allowing states to deploy it; this may affect state transportation budgets that were planning around those allocations.
- Termination of NEVI eliminates a formula-based program that distributed funds to all states; rural and underserved areas that depend on federal support for charging infrastructure lose access.
- Repeal removes a tool for reducing transportation-sector emissions and may slow EV adoption by making charging less convenient and more expensive for consumers.
- Private charging networks may face reduced competition from federally funded public infrastructure, potentially allowing higher prices for consumers.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
Citizens lose access to a federal program that subsidized EV charging infrastructure, raising the cost and reducing the availability of charging stations for consumers. The bill also eliminates economic activity and jobs associated with building and operating these stations, and removes a tool for reducing transportation emissions and energy costs.
Named in the bill
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (Public Law 117–58), National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program, Federal Highway Administration, Department of Transportation, 23 U.S.C. § 151
Where it stands
2 cosponsors: 2 Republicans.
- Feb 20, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in Senate”
- Feb 20, 2025 — Referred to Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works · Congress.gov: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (1,678 characters) on Jun 8, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-10-20.
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