Lawmakers Urge Prompt Action On AM Radio Mandate

In a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson and other House leaders on Wednesday, a right-leaning think tank encouraged “prompt House passage” of legislation protecting the installation of AM radios in all new vehicles. 

Numerous vehicle manufacturers—especially makers of electric vehicles—such as Ford, Tesla, and Volvo, have begun removing AM radios from their new models. The American Principles Project urged Johnson, R-La., as well as House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., to bring the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act “to the House floor as soon as possible.”

According to Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., one of the leading backers of the bill, it would “[d]irect the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to issue a rule that requires automakers to maintain AM broadcast radio in their vehicles without a separate or additional payment, fee, or surcharge.”

The American Principles Project letter notes bipartisan support for the legislation from “256 members of the House and 62 senators.” Additionally, notable figures such as radio talk-show hosts Erick Erickson, Sean Hannity, Hugh Hewitt, and Mark Levin “have expressed their support for maintaining AM radio in vehicles.” 

Automakers, meanwhile, are spending millions of dollars on lobbyists in an effort to kill the bill, the Media Confidential reported Tuesday.

The letter outlines three reasons why AM radio remains important: It’s an integral part of emergency “communications infrastructure,” it’s “the lifeline of local communities,” and it’s valuable “for political discourse.”

When electric power and cell services go down, AM radio still supplies people with “free, local, and trusted news and information,” the letter states. 

The Daily Signal reports Heritage Action Executive Vice President Ryan Walker, a signer of the letter, said local news outlets and anchors continue to be some of the most trusted sources of information in the U.S.