Transportation Sec Explains Why Cheaper Cars Help Workers

Adriana Stone 0 1 min read

Zeldin Explains Why Cheaper Cars Help Workers

Lee Zeldin, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer stopped at a Ford plant in Ohio this week. They were there to talk policy. And to make the point that rules from Washington matter on the factory floor.

Duffy pushed back on the previous administration’s rules and used a blunt line when he described what happened: “illegally twisted mileage standards to create an electric vehicle mandate — jacking up car prices for American families and forcing manufacturers to produce vehicles no one wanted.”

The Department of Transportation has estimated that the proposed rules would save families more than $900 off the average cost of a new vehicle and reduce roadway fatalities by helping Americans buy new, safer cars.

During the plant stop a reporter asked a simple question: how does making American vehicles more affordable help American auto workers? Zeldin answered patiently. He explained basic economics in plain terms.

Lower prices mean more buyers. More buyers mean more cars produced. More production means more hours on the line. More hours mean more pay and more stable work for factory employees. It’s straightforward. And Zeldin laid it out without the political spin.

The point is practical, not theoretical. Factories need demand. When cars get cheaper, demand rises. That keeps assembly lines busy. It keeps suppliers in business. It helps the whole regional economy—not just the plant.

The exchange got noticed online. Critics and supporters both shared the clip. Some saw the reporter’s question as surprising. Others focused on how calmly Zeldin explained the case for affordability.

Watch the video shared from the visit:

Reaction from public figures followed. One posted a sharp take about the question. Another commentator called it one of the “dumbest questions yet” about the new administration.

No policy is a silver bullet. But the logic linking affordable cars to steady factory work is simple and clear. That was the core message from Zeldin and the administration officials at the plant visit.

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