White House withdraws nominations for US auto safety agency head and 2 judges.

The White House has announced that President Joe Biden is withdrawing his nomination of Ann Carlson to be the administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). This comes just months after Carlson was nominated to the top position.

“Based on your record, we are deeply concerned that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will follow the EPA’s lead and propose similarly radical vehicle fuel economy standards that run contrary to the law, diminish vehicle choice, impose higher costs on American families, and undermine our national and energy security all while [benefiting] China.”

Opposition to Carlson’s Nomination

Officials did not provide a reason for the move, but Carlson’s nomination had faced fierce opposition from Republican leaders who raised concerns over her track record at the agency, including her past environmentalist positions on climate issues.

In May, all 13 Republicans on the Senate Commerce Committee, led by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), signed a letter to Carlson stating their concerns over her past work at NHTSA and past career which they said suggests “NHTSA intends to mimic the EPA’s [Environmental Protection Agency’s] draconian EV [electric vehicle] mandate.”

Industry Groups Call for Rejection of Nomination

A coalition of 43 oil and gas industry groups, including the Western Energy Alliance, American Petroleum Institute, and National Ocean Industries Association, also called on the Senate to reject Carlson’s nomination, citing her plans to “go beyond the agency’s congressionally mandated mission on traffic safety, despite record highway deaths, to instead turn NHTSA into a climate change enforcement body.”

During her time at the administration, Carlson has overseen safety probes into Tesla, and efforts to reduce traffic deaths and boost vehicle fuel economy requirements.

The Epoch Times has contacted the White House for further comment.