Boon for Buttigieg? DC Could Give Residents Up to $1,200 To Buy Electric Bikes

A far-left Washington, D.C., councilwoman wants the city to pay up to $1,200 per person to residents who buy electric bicycles, WUSA9 reported this week.

Under the bill introduced by Democratic councilwoman Brooke Pinto, a D.C. resident who earns below 80 percent of the median family income could receive "up to $1,200" to pay for an electric bike. Residents who earn 80 percent or more of the median income could receive up to $500.

The bill may be good news for Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, a prolific bicycle-rider who was infamously caught riding a D.C. communal bike. Buttigieg has received extensive criticism for his job performance, notably going on paid child leave during the supply-chain crisis and vacationing in Portugal during critical rail contract negotiations. Under his leadership, his department has prioritized "diversity, equity, and inclusion" measures, the Washington Free Beacon reported.

While Pinto touted electric bikes as "an environmentally friendly way to more easily get around the city," D.C. residents may not feel safe riding around in the open air. The city in 2021 saw the highest murder rate in almost 20 years and is still facing a scourge of carjackings.

Pinto and her fellow council members this month nevertheless overhauled the city's criminal code, reducing "sentences for carjackings, robberies, and gun-related felonies," the Free Beacon reported. The overhaul was too radical even for Democratic mayor Muriel Bowser and the liberal Washington Post. Pinto, however, vocally supported the move as "more just, equitable, and clear."

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