China’s Grip on Green Energy and the Failed Mayorkas Impeachment

On February 9, 2024, Allen Thomas, Kenneth Rapoza, and Mark Tapscott joined the show. Filled in for Kim Monson, leading discussions on China’s manufacturing dominance, the Biden classified documents report, Trump’s Supreme Court case, and Congressional dysfunction Exposed how the Inflation Reduction Act subsidizes Chinese companies while they dominate EV batteries, solar panels, and wind turbines, arguing America risks following Europe’s path of complete.

How China Captured the Green Energy Market

Start listening at 29:58 – Hour 1

Kenneth Rapoza, industry analyst for the Coalition for a Prosperous America and former Wall Street Journal foreign correspondent, exposes the uncomfortable truth about American climate policy: it enriches Communist China. Rapoza explains how the Inflation Reduction Act, sold as a way to build domestic manufacturing, actually subsidizes Chinese companies setting up shop in the United States.

Chinese battery giant CATL is partnering with Ford for the F-150 Lightning, receiving both subsidies from Beijing and tax breaks from Washington. Michigan handed Goshen Hightech a $125 million grant plus $540 million in tax breaks over 30 years. The pattern repeats across solar, wind, and EV batteries.

Rapoza warns that China has “played the West like a fiddle” on renewable energy. They heard Western politicians demand lower greenhouse gases and responded not by cutting emissions, but by becoming the manufacturer of everything the West needs to meet its climate goals. Outside of Tesla, Chinese companies dominate the top ten EV manufacturers. Seven of the top ten battery makers are Chinese. Solar panel production is almost entirely controlled by Beijing.

“China has really played the West like a fiddle when it comes to renewable energy. They’ve followed the climate change policies of the West. They heard loud and clear that the West is terrified of climate change and wants to lower greenhouse gases. And China said, we’re on board. Not that we’re on board in terms of we’re going to lower greenhouse gases, but we’re going to be the manufacturer of all the things that are going to help you do it.”

Kenneth Rapoza, Industry Analyst, Coalition for a Prosperous America

The analyst points to Europe as a cautionary tale. German officials refuse to impose protective tariffs on Chinese solar because they prioritize climate goals over domestic industry. Spanish and Italian solar manufacturers are dying on the vine. America is in better shape, Rapoza says, but only if it avoids following Europe’s path of complete dependence on Chinese supply chains.

The Mayorkas Impeachment Collapse

Start listening at 70:45 – Hour 2

Mark Tapscott, award-winning investigative editor for the Epoch Times, breaks down the stunning failure of the House Republican effort to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. With only a three-vote majority, Republicans could afford to lose just two votes, but Ken Buck of Colorado, Tom McClintock of California, and unexpectedly Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin voted against impeachment.

The charges against Mayorkas included willfully refusing to enforce existing immigration laws and obstructing Congressional oversight with approximately 40 documented instances of ignoring or stonewalling document requests. Tapscott notes he has covered Congress for decades and has never seen a federal official display the kind of defiant attitude Mayorkas demonstrates at hearings.

“I covered them as a journalist for many, many years. I’ve never seen a federal official from either party display the kind of attitude that Mayorkas has shown.”

Mark Tapscott, Investigative Editor, The Epoch Times

The impeachment could return when House Majority Leader Steve Scalise returns from cancer treatment, potentially restoring the one-vote margin needed for passage. Even if impeached, Tapscott explains, conviction in the Democrat-controlled Senate remains unlikely since removal requires 66 votes. But impeachment itself would make Mayorkas only the second cabinet officer in American history to be impeached, after War Secretary George Belknap in 1876 under the notoriously corrupt Grant administration.

Tapscott also examines the dead-on-arrival Senate border security bill, noting the unprecedented situation where supporters and opponents offer completely opposite interpretations of the same provisions. Senator Lankford claims it ends catch-and-release while Senator Mike Lee argues it actually codifies the practice through an obscure presidential waiver provision. The fundamental question remains: if Biden refuses to enforce existing laws, why would new laws make any difference?