--- title: Trump Says He May Eliminate Electric Car Subsidies for GM description: President Trump said he may eliminate electric car subsidies for General Motors because of its factory closures and thousands of layoffs. canonical: https://time.com/5464846/trump-electric-car-subsidies-general-motors/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-11-27T19:46:18.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T22:08:32.793Z article:section: Politics og:title: President Trump Threatens to Pull Electric Car Subsidies Over GM Plant Closures og:description: Trump has expressed anger over GM’s plan to close five North American factories og:url: https://time.com/5464846/trump-electric-car-subsidies-general-motors/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt68e72b22dcf91c9b/698940047cdbac3f6dd5e864/general-motors-electric-car.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: general-motors-electric-car og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: President Trump Threatens to Pull Electric Car Subsidies Over GM Plant Closures twitter:description: Trump has expressed anger over GM’s plan to close five North American factories twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt68e72b22dcf91c9b/698940047cdbac3f6dd5e864/general-motors-electric-car.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # President Trump Threatens to Pull Electric Car Subsidies Over GM Plant Closures > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. by [Justin Sink and Ryan Beene / Bloomberg](https://time.com/author/bloomberg/) ## Justin Sink and Ryan Beene / Bloomberg Contributor Nov 27, 2018 7:46 PM UTC  In this January 6, 2016 file photo, General Motors Co. Chairman and CEO Mary Barra introduces the Chevy Bolt EV, an electric car, in Las Vegas, Nevada. In light of GM's announcement of factory closures and thousands of layoffs, President Trump said he may try to eliminate government subsidies for GM electric cars. In this January 6, 2016 file photo, General Motors Co. Chairman and CEO Mary Barra introduces the Chevy Bolt EV, an electric car, in Las Vegas, Nevada. In light of GM's announcement of factory closures and thousands of layoffs, President Trump said he may try to eliminate government subsidies for GM electric cars. Alex Wong—Getty Images by [Justin Sink and Ryan Beene / Bloomberg](https://time.com/author/bloomberg/) ## Justin Sink and Ryan Beene / Bloomberg Contributor Nov 27, 2018 7:46 PM UTC (Bloomberg) — President Donald Trump said he may try to eliminate electric car subsidies for General Motors Co. after it announced it will close factories and lay off thousands of U.S. workers. GM fell as much as 2.9 percent and traded down 2.4 percent at $36.73 at 2:16 p.m. in New York. Trump has repeatedly expressed anger over GM’s plan to close five North American factories and since its chief executive Mary Barra announced the layoffs on Monday. “There’s great disappointment that it seems like GM would rather build its electric cars in China rather than the United States,” Larry Kudlow, director of the White House National Economic Council, told reporters at a briefing on Tuesday, just before Trump’s tweets. “We are going to be looking at certain subsidies regarding electric cars and others and whether they should apply or not. Can’t say anything final about that, but we’re looking into it.” > [](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1067494680416407552) > [](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1067494682249318402) Currently, consumers who purchase a fully-electric vehicle are eligible for a $7,500 federal tax credit. The credit begins to phase-out after an automaker sells 200,000 eligible vehicles, such as the Chevrolet Bolt electric car. Tesla Inc. has already reached the cap and GM is expected to be next. Both companies have lobbied in Washington for an extension. Some members of Congress have proposed raising the cap or otherwise extending the credit, including Senate Finance Chairman Orrin Hatch, a Utah Republican, and Senator Dean Heller of Nevada, where Tesla operates a large battery factory. 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