Earlier this week, Toyota Motor Company president Akio Toyoda announced that he will not attend the U.S. congressional hearings regarding the numerous safety recalls initiated by the Japanese automaker over the last few months.

Toyoda’s decision to not testify in front of Congress has angered some lawmakers, including California Representative Darrell Issa who believes that it is “telling” that the Japanese automaker’s president has declined to appear on U.S. soil.

Issa, who is the ranking member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said earlier today that Toyoda’s preference to pass on a meeting with lawmakers shows he “is not as eager to give Congress and the American people answers as we first thought.”

“I would think given the tremendous scrutiny Toyoda and his company are under, he would have seized the opportunity to personally appear and use the hearing as a forum to move forward,” added Kurt Bardella, a spokesman for the congressman.

Meanwhile, Toyota has announced several new initiatives aimed at improving quality control measures, including the installation of brake-override systems on all new vehicles and the expansion of local technical offices that conduct on-site troubleshooting, according to Auto Week.