Based on a Senate filing, President Donald Trump has selected Jonathan Morrison, an executive from Apple, to lead the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). This nomination will first be reviewed and voted on by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and then sent for a full Senate vote. If Morrison is confirmed, he will oversee the agency currently investigating Elon Musk’s Tesla, with Department of Transportation head Sean Duffy stating that these investigations will continue.
Morrison has spent the past four years working at Apple. Prior to that, he served as the Chief Counsel for NHTSA during Trump's first term. He has experience in the automotive industry, having previously been the president of Auto Advisory Services and the director of legal and regulatory affairs at the California New Car Dealers Association. Morrison’s career in the automotive sector aligns with Trump’s transportation plans for the next four years.
Trump has already signed an executive order to halt the development of federally funded electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure and delayed updates to automatic emergency braking requirements. He also plans to roll back the fuel efficiency standards set during Biden’s administration, create a more streamlined process for the development of autonomous vehicles (AVs), and halt crash reporting from self-driving car companies.
