(Washington, DC) – Today, U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) released the following statement on reports that the Department of Justice (DOJ) has reached a settlement with General Motors (GM) on the criminal investigation into GM’s failure to disclose a lethal safety defect:

“Based on recent media reports, this outcome fails to require adequate and explicit admission of criminal culpability from GM and individual criminal actions. This is outcome is extremely disappointing. The 124 families who lost loved ones deserved an explicit acknowledgment of criminal wrongdoing, and individual criminal accountability, as well as a larger monetary penalty. GM knowingly concealed information that could have prevented these deaths, and it is shameful that they will not be held fully accountable for their wrongdoings. We cannot continue to allow large auto companies to get away with deadly, deceptive conduct. Penalties for these actions must be stronger to stop more innocent lives from being taken.

“Knowing and willful violations of the vehicle safety statutes – deception that literally kill American consumers – should be a criminal violation, as we have proposed in the Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 2015 and in the Hide No Harm Act. We will continue to fight for the criminal penalty provisions of this legislation until they are enacted into law and the countless victims and families of preventable tragedies – like those who lost loved ones due to GM’s defective switch – can find closure and justice.”