ICYMI: In Detroit, Energy Secretary Granholm, Vice President Harris Announce $100 Million in EV Transition Funding for Auto Parts Manufacturers

Detroit, Mich. – On Monday, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm joined Vice President Kamala Harris, Governor Gretchen Whitmer, and Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su in Detroit to announce more than $100 million in federal funding for small- and medium-sized auto parts manufacturers to expand or retool their facilities to support the shift to electric vehicles. 

Highlights of Vice President Harris’ Remarks:

• “Michigan, I believe that America’s economy is powered by the ambition and the aspiration of her people. The ambition and aspiration to innovate, to create, and to prosper. Therefore, to grow our economy we must invest in that ambition and those aspirations. I believe every person in our country then must have access to the opportunity to compete, to succeed, and to thrive. The ability to achieve what I call financial freedom, which means having enough not just to get by but to get ahead. To be able to build a business, to own a home, to start a family, and to create intergenerational wealth.”

• “Which is why, over the past three years, the President and I have invested now trillions of dollars in America’s infrastructure, in clean energy and a clean energy economy, in manufacturing and in supply chains. Our work is also guided by the understanding that there are certain communities that have faced historically and currently profound obstacles to acquire that opportunity.”

• “I am proud to announce we are investing $100 million in small- and medium-sized auto supply companies, many of which are Black-owned and based right here in Michigan. These grants will allow businesses to upgrade production and production lines to produce parts for electric vehicles. I am also pleased to announce the launch of a new program that will match government-backed loans with private equity capital to help small- and mid-sized auto suppliers access loans from a quarter-million dollars to ten million dollars.”

• “The strength of America’s economy is also based on the strength of America’s supply chains. We all learned that in the pandemic if we weren’t clear before. This investment will help to keep our auto supply chains here in America, which strengthens America’s economy overall, and keep those jobs here in Detroit.”

Highlights of Secretary Granholm’s Remarks:

• “The President of the United States is bringing manufacturing back to the United States in a big way. And can I just say, folks, the evidence around us in terms of what we are seeing on the ground is amazing. So, for example, since the president’s agenda was passed, the DOE alone has committed more than $6 billion in grants and loans benefiting Michigan. And that just pales in comparison to what the private sector is doing in Michigan between the tax credits and the grants that are happening.”

• “So in Michigan, just in the energy space, we have seen 50 companies announce that they have come or are expanding in Michigan to manufacture clean energy products – fifty companies that have said we are going to come and hire people in Michigan, hiring more than 21,000 people, $22 billion in investment, good paying jobs.”

• “As factories go up, as cranes start to appear and people wonder: Can I get one of those jobs? For companies there is no shortage of a desire for talent, and for folks out here, there is no shortage of talent. So we gotta connect talent and those who want to hire folks.”

• “As of today, applications are open for a first-of-its-kind fellowship that will help ensure that local workers can get those jobs. The program is called Readiness Accelerator for Major Programs or RAMP. It is the connective tissue between a job provider who wants to offer a job and a worker who wants to get a job. And we are asking for folks to apply for these RAMP fellowships and for those who might be interested we want you to go to energy.gov/ramp.”

 Additional Resources

• WHITE HOUSE FACT SHEET: Vice President Harris Announces More Than $100 Million to Support American Auto Workers and Small Auto Suppliers

• GOVERNOR WHITMER NEWS RELEASE: Vice President Harris and Lt. Gov. Gilchrist Announce $50M Grant Program for Small Suppliers, New EV Workforce Hub in Michigan

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