McCollum Vote on H.J. Res. 39

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.J. Res. 39. This resolution is another Republican attack on President Biden’s climate goals that will harm American jobs and existing domestic solar projects. This is an unnecessary rush to insert ourselves into agency rulemaking before Congress has the full picture.

This resolution would overturn a Biden Administration regulation that placed a two-year moratorium on tariffs on solar panels and cells from four Southeast Asian countries: Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. This rule was put in place to ensure the American solar supply chain has adequate volumes of solar panels and cells to meet domestic demand. H.J. Res. 39 clearly ignores the fact that the Department of Commerce has been studying the way China may be manipulating solar markets in Southeast Asia to avoid U.S. tariffs during the two-year duty moratorium. The Department of Commerce is almost set to release a final report with their findings in May. It is irresponsible for Congress to overturn the Biden Administration’s rule without seeing the result of that investigation on the full scope of China’s role in these markets.

I am proud of the historic investments in domestic clean energy manufacturing made under unified Democratic control in the last Congress. Democrats are building toward the goal of solar panels and cells being American made, American built, and union installed. Congressional Republicans have long been hostile to investments in clean energy and Republicans are using this resolution as an opportunity to slow down our economy as it transitions to a clean energy economy. H.J. Res. 39 jeopardizes existing projects which would mean the loss of jobs for the hard-working Americans who design, construct, and install solar. We have seen historic investments in community solar projects in Minnesota’s Fourth District. This resolution puts those projects, and the jobs they create, in danger.

Mr. Speaker, let me be clear, H.J. Res. 39 is an attack on President Biden, our transition to a clean energy economy, and domestic manufacturing goals.

It should be rejected, and I yield back.