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Statement on General Motors Hearing

April 2, 2014

Washington, D.C. – Yesterday, the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee held a hearing on the General Motors recall for faulty ignition switches that played a role in at least 31 frontal crashes and 13 deaths. Rep. Schakowsky issued the following statement on the hearing:

“The fact that 13 people lost their lives is extremely tragic, and it is even more painful because these deaths were avoidable.

“GM made the decision to continue the use of a faulty ignition switch that did not meet its own specifications – a part that costs 57 cents. I am outraged that proposed solutions to the problem that could have prevented needless deaths were rejected for not presenting ‘an acceptable business case.’

“The untold number of injured and the families of the 13 victims who died as a result of GM’s failure deserved better. They deserved the peace of mind that they and their loved ones would be protected with adequate safety and engineering features. GM failed them, as did the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which missed opportunities to call for an earlier recall.

“An outstanding question is whether GM will take full responsibility for allowing this tragedy to occur. The company has yet to fire any of its senior employees that approved the use of faulty switches in GM vehicles or explain what it will do for the victims who were injured and the families of those killed in GM cars.

“Yesterday, I joined with Rep. Waxman in introducing the Motor Vehicle Safety Act, legislation to improve the quality and quantity of information shared with NHTSA and the public, which could help to prevent a similar tragedy in the future. I will work to see it passed through the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade, on which I serve as the ranking Democrat.

“In the meantime, I will continue to work to hold the top level executives at GM accountable, to ensure that GM does right by the victims and their families, and to ensure that this tragedy is never repeated.”

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