Representative Townes News Today

>> okay, yeah, this one works. >> you can use two. >> okay, ill use two. >> very presidential. mr. secretary, ill pick up where the chairman left off. some companies, including toyota im told, you can go to their website and you can punch in a vin, which is the one piece of information that anyone whos in possession of the car can see. at your website you have to put in make and model, so you kind of have to know your trim level, et cetera, et cetera. can you commit to us that in the foreseeable...

Potential need for more authority or more specific legislation, that you would also come back to us -- >> absolutely. >> thank you. mr. chairman, thank you again, and i yield back. >> thank you. i now yield five minutes to the gentleman from pennsylvania, congressman kanjorski. >> thank you very much, mr. chairman. welcome, mr. secretary. >> thank you. >> from arriving at this meeting today, i assume this is one of the more uplifting sessions that youve had since in office. i think this is proba...

Burton, and i think this law probably should be tightened up. i really do, because i agree with you. perception is reality. anybody thats been in politics knows that. and i take your point on this. >> well, thank you very much. i still love you, ray. >> thank you. >> gentleman yield back? >> yield back. >> i recognize the gentleman from maryland, representative cummings. >> thank you very much, mr. chairman. and to secretary lahood, its good to have you here. one of the things that we find ourse...

Million bottles of tylenol pills, which of course led to the tamp er-proof bottles we all take for granted today. the 1996 ford recalls of eight million vehicles for fires and of course the well-publicized gm recall after their pickup trucks would spontaneously explode if hit from the rear. mr. chairman, this is an example of companies, both auto and non-auto, who over the years have faced clear challenges. in the case of the auto companies, we expect to see them again. we judge them not by whet...

Problem, they should go to the dealership and then i heard you in answer to the chairmans question, i dont think you ever really answered the question because he asked you whether or not you considered toyota to be safe. you are our safety guy, just as you just said. you said it, i didnt. and i believe that. i believe you are concerned about safety. the question still becomes for our constituents, you as our safety guy -- >> well, let me answer you very directly. >> thank you. >> for those cars ...

Members of the sayler family in august, 2009, there were almost 2,000 complaints at the time of toyotas floor mat recall in 2007. the agency had already received more than 1,300 complaints. my question is why did it take nhtsa so long to act? >> well, mr. chairman, i would say this. ive been in this job a little more than a year. and prior to my time, which would have been prior to january 23rd of 09, if there are issues that i cant answer, ill get back to you for the record. but im going to tel...

I believe that both nhtsa and secretary lahood will tell us that our body of law is sufficient and yet modernization is required. im delighted to have my friend and former colleague, secretary lahood, here today because it will be on his watch that either the secretary -- either the department of transportation will be a good organization dealing with these specific problems or a great organization learning from the mistakes of the past. mr. chairman, i thank you for holding this hearing. i look...

We investigate safety defects and theres a reason we push automakers to do the right thing. i listen to the 911 tape of the sayler familys harrowing last moments. mark sayler, a california highway patrolman, died last year along with his wife and daughter and his brother-in-law when the accelerator got stuck in the lexus they were driving and crashed at more than 120 miles per hour. last evening after i finished my testimony before the energy and commerce committee, i met with the sayler family ...

Stakeholders, people who are in the automobile business. sometimes they file complaints with us. and then when we see a pattern, we will do an investigation and we will look at it. and if our investigation shows there needs to be a recall, it will be done. that has been the work of nhtsa. with respect to your specific question, during that time period, what id like to do, mr. chairman, is put it on the record after i really can get the facts for you. >> thank you very much, mr. secretary. again,...

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