A federal mandate will force all new cars sold after 2026 to have a kill switch.
The kill-switch idea came about as one more attempt by the government to “help” solve a problem. In this case, the mandate holds that car manufacturers must install equipment in cars to first detect intoxicated or impaired drivers, and then prevent operation of the car if impairment is detected.
Should the government be in a position to determine who is impaired and when they are impaired, and then have the power to stop the operation of a piece of equipment that is privately owned?
In other words, does the government have the right to determine when or if you may travel using your own property?
Obviously this is a significant infringement on basic rights.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), a staunch defender of liberty in Congress, tried to stop implementation of this mandate with an amendment to H.R. 4820, the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2024.
When introducing his amendment, Massie called the looming mandate a type of dystopian science fiction.
“It is so incredible that I have to offer this amendment,” Massie said. “It almost sounds like the domain of science fiction, dystopian science fiction, that the Federal Government would put a kill switch in vehicles that would be the judge, the jury, and the executioner on such a fundamental right as the right to travel freely, but here we are.”
For anyone who cares about the Constitution and human liberty in general, this should have been an easy vote to get right.
Unfortunately, the measure still failed on the evening of November 7 when 19 Republicans sided with democrats to kill the measure by a tally of 229 against versus 201 in favor.
The 19 Republicans who joined 210 Democrats in siding against freedom and the Constitution were:
Gus Bilirakis (Fla.)
Mike Carey (Ohio)
Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.)
Charles “Chuck” Fleischmann (Tenn.)
Andrew Garbarino (N.Y.)
Mike Garcia (Calif.)
Garret Graves (La.)
John Joyce (Pa.)
Thomas Kean, Jr. (N.J.)
Kevin Kiley (Calif.)
Young Kim (Calif.)
David Kustoff (Tenn.)
Michael Lawler (N.Y.)
Nancy Mace (S.C.)
Michael McCaul (Texas)
Zachary Nunn (Iowa)
Maria Elvira Salazar (Fla.)
Christopher Smith (N.J.)
Glenn Thompson (Pa.)
The two Democrats joining the majority of Republicans in supporting the Massie amendment were:
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.)
Marie Gluesenkanp Perez (Wash.)
