Your friend texts you, “Did you see? Trump’s announced he’s ordering electric vehicle plants to shut down?!” You click the link to see what she’s talking about and scan the article quickly. You vaguely remember that when talking about electric vehicles (EVs), Trump promised a “bloodbath” if Biden was re-elected (and assumedly that extended to Harris). Trump’s base has soured on EVs, seeing them as part of the “woke agenda.” Trump has now invoked the Defense Production Act to repurpose EV plants to produce gasoline-engine vehicles.
The article cites unnamed sources inside the White House. An unnamed economic advisor calls the move “backward,” noting that over 100,000 jobs in the EV sector would be threatened by Trump’s new policy, which attempts to undo plans that auto producers have already put in motion. Another source calls it “just a stunt,” explaining that “you can’t repurpose an EV plant by an order.” Autoworkers are furious.
Before you get a chance to process, a longstanding volunteer calls you. Though they’ve been a steady volunteer, you know most of their work is with the resistance movement. “The Resistance has gotten tens of thousands of people to refuse to pay taxes, including several major businesses. We think there’s an opportunity for further action to keep the EV industry operating despite the Defense Production Act — but it may be a prolonged action and we’d need your network to help feed people who might end up… uhm… occupying the factories…” You nod quietly. You see the potential, but this movement has a history of being … illegal… and a very different kind of work. “We have a plan. Help us?”
