Trump Administration Pushes 100% U.S. Content Rule for EV Chargers
Published: February 25th, 2026
The Federal Highway Administration proposed a rule Thursday that would require electric vehicle chargers receiving federal funding to be made entirely from U.S. materials and components—a nearly doubling of current requirements that industry experts say could stall the national charging network buildout for years.
The proposal would raise the domestic content threshold from 55% to 100% for chargers funded through federal highway programs, including the $5 billion National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy framed the move as necessary to protect national security and boost American manufacturing, but renewable energy advocates warn it could backfire by blocking infrastructure projects the automotive industry needs as it shifts to electric vehicles.
Key Takeaways
- FHWA proposed raising domestic content requirements for federally funded EV chargers from 55% to 100%
- Applies to the $5 billion NEVI program — covering components like circuit boards, LCD displays, transformers, and cables
- Industry experts say these components aren’t manufactured at scale in the U.S., meaning the rule could block the very infrastructure it claims to support
- The proposal scraps Biden’s gradual phase-in approach and jumps straight to 100% States are still fighting to access NEVI funds frozen by the Trump administration — now they face a new compliance hurdle even with money unlocked
- 30-day public comment period before the rule is finalized
- Critics call it another attempt to kill NEVI rather than a genuine push for American manufacturing
What’s changing
Under the proposed waiver update, nearly all materials in federally funded EV chargers—including iron, steel, circuit boards, LCD displays, transformers and charging cables—would need to come from U.S. facilities. The Federal Highway Administration will accept public comments on the proposal for 30 days before finalizing the rule.
“Now we’re ensuring that if Congress wants to see these chargers built, we put America First,” Duffy said in a statement. “Doing so will unleash American manufacturing, protect our national security, and prevent taxpayer dollars from subsidizing our foreign adversaries.”
The administration argues that manufacturers can now produce chargers domestically because supply chain issues that plagued 2023 have subsided. FHWA Administrator Sean McMaster criticized the previous administration’s approach, saying “empty promises led to few EV chargers and hurt domestic manufacturing.”
But industry groups say the math doesn’t add up. Components like LCD displays, transformers, charging cables and circuit boards simply aren’t manufactured at scale in the United States, according to Trisha Dellolacono, head of policy at Calstart, a California-based nonprofit focused on renewable transportation.
“Without corresponding domestic production capacity in place, this proposal would undermine the very manufacturing growth it seeks to promote,” Dellolacono said. “Setting a 100% requirement essentially blocks the implementation of critical infrastructure.”
The NEVI program’s troubled rollout
The proposed rule would directly affect the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program, enacted in November 2021 as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The program allocates $5 billion over five years to states for building EV charging stations along highways.
NEVI has faced repeated obstacles under the Trump administration. In February 2026, the administration abruptly froze the program, blocking federal funds to several states. Washington, Colorado and California led a lawsuit against the Transportation Department in response. A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction lifting the freeze in June, and the agency released revised guidance in August.
Three weeks ago, a federal judge ruled the administration had violated federal law with the freeze and ordered the Transportation Department to release obligated funds. The new waiver proposal arrives as states are still working to access those dollars.
As of February 12, major companies have secured significant NEVI funding: Francis Energy Charging received $107.8 million, Love’s got $57.1 million, and Tesla was awarded $37.4 million, according to data from the National Association of State Energy Officials.
Katherine García, director of the Sierra Club’s Clean Transportation for All campaign, called the waiver update “just another attempt to kill NEVI and block the buildout of EV chargers.”
“Supporting American manufacturing is essential—but sabotaging a major infrastructure program and undermining U.S. competitiveness is not ‘America First,'” García said.
How the rules evolved
The Biden administration issued a temporary waiver in 2023 specifically to prevent the kind of bottlenecks the new proposal could create. That waiver allowed non-domestic components in chargers manufactured by July 1, 2024, and installed by October 1, 2024, giving the industry time to build up domestic supply chains.
Starting in July 2024, the rules required at least 55% of component costs to come from domestic sources—already a significant threshold that required manufacturers to restructure their supply chains. The waiver was designed to balance the goal of American manufacturing with the practical reality of accelerating a national charging network.
The new proposal throws out that gradual approach. Instead of phasing in higher requirements as domestic capacity grows, it jumps immediately to 100% for all materials including iron and steel.
The administration points to improved supply chain conditions since 2023 as justification. But industry experts note that building domestic production capacity for specialized electronics components takes years, not months. LCD displays, circuit boards and other high-tech components require significant capital investment and technical expertise that doesn’t currently exist at scale in the United States.
What happens next
The Federal Highway Administration will review public comments submitted over the next 30 days before deciding whether to finalize the rule. If approved, the requirements would apply to all EV chargers seeking federal funding going forward.
Manufacturers, states and installers that have already received NEVI funding may need to audit their supply chains and potentially redesign projects to meet the new standards. Companies planning to apply for future funding face uncertainty about whether they can source 100% domestic components at competitive prices.
States that sued over the funding freeze now confront a different challenge: even with access to federal dollars, they may struggle to find chargers that qualify under the stricter rules. That could slow deployment of highway charging infrastructure precisely when automakers are ramping up EV production and consumers need assurance they can charge on long trips.
The proposal reflects the administration’s broader “America First” manufacturing agenda, which prioritizes domestic production over speed of deployment. Whether that trade-off accelerates or delays the transition to electric vehicles will depend on how quickly U.S. manufacturers can build the capacity to produce components that currently come from overseas.
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