US House Representative: "Excluding Korean Cars from IRA Benefits is a Big Mistake... Must Be Corrected"

U.S. Representative Buddy Carter (Republican)

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] Regarding the issue of discrimination against Korean electric vehicles under the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), Buddy Carter, a Republican member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee representing Savannah, Georgia, where Hyundai Motor's electric vehicle plant is being established, expressed his intention to amend the bill.

According to Yonhap News, on the 23rd (local time), Representative Carter said, "It was a big mistake by the Biden administration to exclude Korean automakers from the IRA, and it violates the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (FTA)." He added, "Although it may not have been intentional, they made the mistake of excluding Korea from subsidy eligibility," and "Above all, it made an important ally, ranked sixth in trade volume with the U.S., feel alienated."

Representative Carter emphasized, "The IRA is a flawed law that can be amended at the congressional level," and "We must do whatever we can to correct it immediately." In particular, he said, "The IRA should be thoroughly reviewed and improved through a 'regular order' process in the committee." The regular order refers to the process in which the federal Congress, at the committee level, holds public hearings to gather public opinion and conducts multiple votes to pass the bill on a bipartisan basis.

As a member of the Republican Party, he urged his Democratic colleagues from Georgia to join him. He said, "It is time for Representative Raphael Warnock, who represents Georgia, to step up and do something."

Meanwhile, when asked about his thoughts on President Yoon Suk-yeol's 'profanity controversy,' he responded, "I believe there was never any negative intent," and "There will be no issues in the friendship and relationship with Korea."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.