House Republicans failed to defund a federal “kill switch” mandate Tuesday night requiring all vehicles produced in 2026 and onward to feature technology that can automatically disable the vehicle “if impairment is detected.” This lays the groundwork for corporate and government access to monitor and interfere with personal movement.

By a vote of 229 to 201, the lower chamber rejected an amendment proposed by Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie to defund the mandate embedded in the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Massie’s measure received 210 “no” votes from Democrats and 19 from Republicans. Just two Democrats supported the amendment and 199 Republicans voted for it. Eight members did not participate in the late-night vote.

[There have been attempts to impose this kind of feature on personal vehicles for years now. Some want a breathalyzer attached to a vehicle to prevent it from being started when blood-alcohol levels reach impairment levels, but that would have tens of millions of Americans huffing into a device several times a day for no good reason. At least that would be a localized device. The ‘kill switch’ system would include external access, as would shifting to an entirely EV personal-vehicle future. — Ed]