Joe Rogan on government-spending: what the evidence says · JRE #2269

FACT CHECK // JRE #2269 // EXHIBIT LOG
EPISODE AIRED FEB 6, 2025 · THE JOE ROGAN EXPERIENCE
CLAIM CMTM27HFSTATUS: PUBLISHED
SUBJECT: GOVERNMENT-SPENDING
SpeakerJoe Rogan (host)
Timestamp5:53
Aired
// 00 · ABSTRACT

The short answer

Rogan says the government paid $236 billion for electric-vehicle chargers while building only a few. The $236 billion figure does not match the federal EV-charging programs created by the 2021 infrastructure law. The Congressional Research Service identifies $7.5 billion in combined funding for the NEVI and Charging and Fueling Infrastructure programs, including $5 billion for NEVI.

RulingNeeds Context

Not a true/false call. Every claim is logged with its sources; read the exhibits below.

// THE CLAIM · ON TAPE
I mean, how about the one where they paid $236 billion, like, for chargers? Do you know that they were trying to set up chargers you mean car chargers and they only built a couple of
Joe Roganhost@ 5:53
Watch on YouTubeJUMP TO 5:53

What the evidence says 01 / RECORD

The $236 billion figure does not match the federal EV-charging programs created by the 2021 infrastructure law. The Congressional Research Service identifies $7.5 billion in combined funding for the NEVI and Charging and Fueling Infrastructure programs, including $5 billion for NEVI. The early deployment was slow, and the first NEVI-funded stations opened in Ohio and New York in late 2023, but that does not substantiate a claim that $236 billion was spent on chargers. A later GAO report likewise describes the combined authorization and appropriation as $7.5 billion for fiscal years 2022 through 2026.

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