U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz is spearheading a Senate committee hearing intended to challenge federal safety requirements for vehicles, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Features that could come under challenge by the committee include Automatic Emergency Breaking (AEB), which won’t go into effect as a federally mandated requirement for new vehicles until 2029, according to the Journal. Also potentially on the chopping block is the “check the backseat” reminder to ensure parents don’t leave kids in the vehicle.
The Cruz-chaired Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation has already issued summons to executives of Detroit’s “Big Three” automakers — General Motors (GM), Ford Motor Co. and Stellantis (which absorbed Chrysler properties like Dodge, Ram and Jeep) — demanding they explain the rising cost of vehicles.
The hearing will get rolling on Jan. 14, ostensibly to get some answers from industry titans on how to bring down vehicle costs, the Journal reports.
However, it seems a blame game is already underway.
Earlier this year, a lobbying group sued the Department of Transportation over the impending AEB requirement, saying it would “significantly increase costs” of manufacturing, even though many automakers have already added the feature of their own accord.
The finger pointing might be more accurately described as an optics charade. Indeed, Cruz appears to have plenty of reason to do the bidding of the automotive industry, of which he’s the top congressional donation recipient, 2024 campaign finance data from Open Secrets shows.
Similarly, the Journal’s reporting suggests there’s no mention of tariffs being passed on to customers — an omission potentially deflecting blame away from the Trump administration. Since Trump proclaimed “liberation day” in April, his tariffs have raised prices on billions of dollars in autos and auto parts, according to supply-chain logistics experts.
Costs for a new car recently hit a record high, with average monthly payments climbing to $766. As a consequence of skyrocketing prices combined with stagnant wages, missed payments and repossessions are also at a 15-year high.
In the rush to cut automobile costs, are safety features really the first thing that should go? According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, such features have saved 860,000 lives and prevented millions of injuries since 1968.
Anyone remember the initial blowback for Ralph Nader’s 1965 book Unsafe at Any Speed and the following crusade to standardize and enforce the seat belt?
Well, here we are again.
Perhaps instead of going after life-saving safety features, Cruz could crack down on unnecessary bloatware, or — if we’re really dreaming big — break up the monopolies that can get away with driving up costs as the result of little competition.
And while we’re at it, how about some Cruz Control?
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