By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON, June 26 (Reuters) - Major automakers want Congress and the Trump administration to move faster to make it easier to deploy autonomous vehicles without human controls as new robotaxi tests expand.

Congress has been divided for years about whether to pass legislation to address deployment hurdles, while the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has not moved quickly to rewrite safety rules or allow exemptions for up to 2,500 vehicles without human controls annually and ease other hurdles.

"The auto industry wants, it needs a functioning and effective auto safety regulator. We don't have that today," said Alliance for Automotive Innovation CEO John Bozzella at a U.S. House of Representatives hearing on Thursday. "The agency isn't nimble. Rulemakings take too long if they come at all."

Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association Director Jeff Farrah urged Congress to pass long-stalled nationwide legislation to allow the United States to globally lead on AVs as China moves aggressively in the field.

"Right now we are fighting with one hand tied behind our back," Farrah said. Companies have pushed for more action for years.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in April that a new department framework to boost autonomous vehicles would help U.S. automakers compete with Chinese rivals.

Earlier this month, NHTSA said it would speed reviews of requests from automakers to deploy self-driving vehicles without required human controls like steering wheels, brake pedals or mirrors.

Representative Frank Pallone of New Jersey, a Democrat, cited reports showing NHTSA has lost as much as 35% of its expert staff this year through layoffs and other exits, which puts the ability of the agency to function at risk.

NHTSA said "significantly fewer people have left" than Pallone suggested and that it remains "staffed to continue to conduct all safety- and mission-critical work" and is boosting its Office of Autonomous Safety.

Meanwhile, U.S. traffic deaths remain sharply above pre-COVID levels. Despite falling 3.8% in 2024 to 39,345, they are still significantly higher than the 36,355 killed in 2019 and double the average rate of other high-income countries.

"NHTSA is failing to meet the moment," Insurance Institute for Highway Safety President David Harkey told lawmakers.

"In recent years, it has approached its job with a lack of urgency, using flawed methodologies that underestimate the safety benefits of obviously beneficial interventions," he said.

NHTSA routinely fails to write regulations even when directed by Congress and has often gone years without a Senate-confirmed leader.

(Reporting by David ShepardsonEditing by Bill Berkrot)

((David.Shepardson@thomsonreuters.com; 2028988324;))