During a two-hour hearing in the US Senate on Wednesday, top executives from Waymo and Tesla urged lawmakers to take action on long-delayed legislation to accelerate the deployment of self-driving cars on public roads. But after two hours of Q&A on a number of hot-button topics, including robotaxi safety, legal liability, remote operation and China, it was clear that lawmakers were no closer to passing any bills related to autonomous vehicles.
Waymo faced questions about its decision to use a Chinese-made vehicle for its next generation robotaxi, as well as several incidents in which its vehicles failed to stop behind a school bus during student pickup. Tesla was asked about its decision to remove radar from its vehicles, its position on binding arbitration and misleading marketing around its autonomous features. And executives at both companies were asked whether they believed the US was in danger of being overtaken by China without a national framework regulating autonomous vehicles. Naturally, they agreed.
“To lead America in AV technology, we must modernize the regulations that hinder the industry’s ability to innovate,” Lars Moravy, vice president of vehicle engineering at Tesla, said during his opening remarks. “Federal regulations for vehicles have not kept pace with the rapid development of technology. Many standards were implemented decades ago and do not adequately address modern advances, such as electric drive trains, automated driving systems, and over-the-air software updates. We need American leadership for AV rules and regulations.”
But whether Congress can ultimately pass legislation to regulate autonomous vehicles remains uncertain. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), who chairs the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee and oversaw today’s hearing, said he thinks it could be done as part of the Surface Transportation Reauthorization Act, which covers federal funding for highways, transit and safety programs.
Judging by the nature of the questions during the hearing, lawmakers are divided over the potential benefits of driverless cars and the companies that operate them.
“Security” was the buzzword of the hearing. Representatives from both Waymo and Tesla said this was their guiding principle. And many senators agreed that roads would be safer with more autonomous vehicles on the roads.
But both companies were questioned about specific security flaws associated with their vehicles. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) said that any federal legislation would need to address Tesla’s deceptive marketing practices.
“Tesla was allowed to market its technology, which it knew required human supervision, as Autopilot because there was no federal guardrail,” she said.
But whether the federal government is up to the task is an open question, Cantwell said, noting that under Elon Musk’s DOGE, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration lost 25 percent of its staff, leaving the Office of Automation with just four staff members at one point. This resulted in less enforcement: NHTSA initiated significantly fewer recall investigations in 2025 than in previous years, he said.
“Are we going to continue to let people die in the United States?” Cantwell asked. “Without strong federal oversight, it’s no surprise that states are trying to fill the void.”
Meanwhile, Waymo’s failure to stop during school bus operations in Austin, Texas and the recent incident in which a robotaxi hit a child at low speed in Santa Monica, California came up during the hearing.
Waymo Chief Safety Officer Mauricio Pena said the company is collecting data in different lighting patterns and conditions, integrating those learnings into its systems to help prevent these incidents from happening again. And he noted that Waymo safely navigates thousands of school bus encounters each week without incident. What Pena didn’t mention, however, was that Waymo’s vehicles were recorded illegally passing stopped school buses, even after releasing a software update to address the problem.
Liability and arbitration
Binding arbitration, in which companies force customers to resolve disputes in courts in the company’s favor, was also raised during the hearing. Cantwell said she would not support legislation that would prevent injured parties from suing robotaxi companies.
He was joined by Senator Bernie Moreno (R-OH), who expressed concerns about driverless car companies relying on lengthy terms and conditions or arbitration clauses to limit liability. He pressed Waymo’s Pena on the issue, who shrugged it off, saying it was not his area of expertise.
Moreno also pressed witnesses about legal liability when a driverless vehicle crashes. Both Pena and Morawi said that their respective companies would accept liability in incidents where the technology was at fault.
Bryant Walker Smith, a professor in the law and engineering schools of the University of South Carolina who specializes in emerging transportation technologies, was also on the witness panel. He said NHTSA has historically played a role in changing industry culture by confronting companies that continue to promote faulty technologies such as faulty airbags and forcing a cultural shift.
The threat posed by China came up several times during the hearing, with Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association CEO Jeff Farah warning lawmakers that without congressional action, China could become the “global leader” in autonomous vehicles.
China also became an issue for Waymo, when Moreno questioned Peña on the Alphabet-owned company’s decision to use a Chinese-made vehicle for its next-generation robotaxi platform. Current US law bans the import of any vehicles with autonomous or connectivity software originating from China. But Peña said vehicles made by Geely are stripped of all their software before they reach the United States. Waymo installs all autonomy software itself, and no data is shared with anyone outside the US.
But Moreno seemed unconvinced.
“So giving a natural market to a Chinese company to send us cars is making us better off and creating more jobs for Americans?” The senator said. “This is completely ridiculous.”
Remote operator and design domain
Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) raised the issue of remote operators, who can sometimes help robotaxis navigate difficult situations. Markey pressed Peña about the location of Waymo’s operators and Peña responded that while some are based in the United States, others are based abroad, particularly in the Philippines. Pena was unable to provide a percentage breakdown, which Markey described as worrisome given the security-critical nature of the role.
Markey also raised concerns about latency, cybersecurity vulnerabilities and the broader implications of sending remaining human jobs overseas while replacing domestic drivers with automation. He described the idea of ”transatlantic backseat drivers” as dangerous and unacceptable.
He also criticized Tesla for failing to place geographic limits on its Autopilot and full self-driving features, arguing that the company has failed to follow the best practices of every other AV company.
Markey was angry, “Tesla is putting American lives in danger.” “And it’s unconscious.”
<a href