This is why everyone should be cautious in what they believe on social media, as Republican leaders spread false rumors that the U.S. Congress passed a “kill switch” legislation that would “remotely” shut vehicles down, Snopes reports.
Rumors spread online in January 2026 that Congress had passed a bill known as the ‘‘Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act’’ that would allow the government to shut off cars whenever it pleased. The rumor seemingly started with Texas’s 3rd District Rep. Keith Self, who, on Jan. 22, referred to a vote as “unbelievably disturbing” with claims that “57 House Republicans just joined almost all the Democrats to ensure the government can shut off your car whenever it wants.”
Then, Florida’s Gov. Ron DeSantis jumped in with a repost. “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, and yet…,” the failed presidential candidate wrote.
However, that isn’t the case.
What Self and DeSantis were referring to was a failed 2026 plan to stop a
signed 2021 bipartisan bill under the Biden-Harris Administration that would require the automotive industry to install technology to identify the effects of drunken driving and “prevent or limit motor vehicle operation” upon detection.Essentially, the bill does not grant the government control to host remote “kill switches” or permit automakers to give the government access to anyone’s car. But under Section 24220, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is expected to mandate “advanced impaired-driving prevention technology” in all new passenger vehicles.
While some may see the legislation as a way to keep drunk drivers off the road, lawmakers have raised constitutional alarms. According to CBT News, there won’t be a requirement for breathalyzers or law enforcement involvement. Just judgment made by the technology. There is also the issue of drivers overcoming the lockout, as there are no parameters for how drivers will get out of what critics call “kill switch jail.”
The critique was started by fellow Republican lawmaker Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who posted criticism on X. “When your car shuts down because it doesn’t approve of your driving, how will you appeal your roadside conviction?” he wrote Jan. 21.
Ultimately, 57 Republican and 211 Democratic members of Congress voted against Massie’s calls for an amendment to block the drunken-driving detection technology mandate and any federal spending on Section 24220 enforcement.
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