House GOP slammed by conservatives for joining Dems on controversial 'kill switch' amendment

By Fox News · Fox News

Fifty-seven Republicans voted with the vast majority of Democrats on Thursday to keep a Biden-era mandate enabling government remote control of vehicles, drawing backlash from conservatives like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. The group voted to defeat an amendment proposed by Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., that would have rolled back government requirements for the development of a "kill switch" to disable the cars of impaired drivers. That amendment failed by a 164-268 vote. DHS FUNDING HEADS TO HOUSE VOTE AFTER JOHNSON QUELLS GOP REVOLT OVER ETHANOL If successful, the amendment would have been folded into a much larger bill to fund the departments of War, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation and Health and Human Services. That larger package went on to pass the chamber in a bipartisan 341-88 vote on Thursday. DeSantis, who has championed small-government policies in the Sunshine State, blasted the amendment vote in a post to X on Friday morning. "The idea that the federal government would require auto manufacturers to equip cars with a ‘kill switch’ that can be controlled by the government is something you’d expect in Orwell’s 1984," DeSantis said, referring to the fictional novel by George Orwell warning readers against totalitarianism. DeSantis’ frustration echoed that of other lawmakers who were left concerned. ICE FUNDING BILL DRAWS FIRE FROM LEFT AND RIGHT AS SHUTDOWN DEADLINE NEARS "Unbelievably disturbing," Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, said in his own post. "57 House Republicans just joined almost all the Democrats to ensure the government can shut off your car whenever it wants." Massie included his amendment to counter language under current law that requires the development of the kill switch technology. A provision included in the Biden-era Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act directed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to develop new standards for car manufacturers to restrict impaired driving. HOUSE ADVANCES $1.2T PACKAGE WITH…