Incoming New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is taking aim at that most sacred of American cows, the public-private partnership, criticizing Tesla for accepting government subsidies without giving back to the taxpayer.
“When we as a public choose to invest in new technologies, we deserve a return on that investment,” Ocasio-Cortez said during a climate change town hall event on Monday.
“It’s about time we get our due because it’s the public that funded and financed a lot of innovative technologies,” she added.
While Tesla has certainly benefited from government subsidies, racking up $2.4 billion as of 2016, the company does not receive nearly as much from the taxpayer as other automakers like Ford, which received $4 billion during that same time, or GM, which got $5.8 billion.
However, the company has been haunted by several scandals. In October, it was revealed that the FBI had launched a probe into whether the automaker misled investors by stating, and then repeatedly missing, its weekly production goals. The investigation was made public shortly after Elon Musk agreed to step down as Tesla chairman and pay a $20 million fine to the US Securities Commission for writing misleading tweets about taking the company private.
I suppose you could say the same about most politicians who promise so much yet deliver nothing. Mind you, she is worth every penny for her comedic value.
h/t keybored