In a bipartisan effort, Florida Senator Rick Scott (R) joined Virginia Senator Mark Warner (D) to craft a bill that would keep Chinese drones from being manufactured in the United States. Below is an official statement from Sen. Scott:
Today, Senator Rick Scott announced the introduction of the bipartisan Countering CCP Drones and Supporting Drones for Law Enforcement Act with Senator Mark Warner, Chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. The Countering CCP Drones and Supporting Drones for Law Enforcement Act would blacklist dangerous Chinese drone companies Da-Jiang Innovations (DJI) Technologies, Autel Robotics, and other CCP-linked drone industry participants and cut them off from U.S. telecommunication infrastructure by including these companies on the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Covered List, which identifies telecommunication equipment that poses an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States. The legislation also creates a short-term Department of Transportation grant program, specifically designed for first responders, to replace any existing Chinese drones and purchase American-made ones. Senators Scott and Warner also filed this legislation as an amendment to the FY2025 National Defense Authorization Act.
“Drones made in Communist China pose a significant threat to our freedoms and security and cannot be allowed to continue operating in American skies,” Scott said. “Companies based in Communist China are at the will of Xi’s evil regime, meaning one of the United States’ greatest adversaries has total access to every bit of data collected by devices. It should terrify every single American that the Chinese Communist Party, known for spying, stealing and espionage, could have access to footage of Americans, their land, their businesses and their families without their knowledge. I was glad to successfully pass my and Senator Warner’s American Security Drone Act to stop the use of drones made by companies in adversarial nations, like Communist China’s DJI, in the United States Government and military, which is critical to protecting our national security. Now, we must pass the Countering CCP Drones and Supporting Drones for Law Enforcement Act as a necessary next step to eliminate the threats we face from Communist China and further protect the security of the United States and every American family.”
Senator Scott has been leading efforts in the Senate to counter People’s Republic of China-made technology that can harm national security—especially drones. Communist China funds technology, like drones made by companies like DJI, with the capability to spy on Americans, steal their data and gather sensitive information. Senator Scott successfully fought to include his and Senator Warner’s American Security Drone Act in the FY2024 NDAA to ban the United States Government from purchasing drones made by Chinese companies, like DJI, which was signed into law by President Biden last year.
Senator Mark Warner said, “Drones have tremendous potential to support agriculture, make our communities safer, and grow our economy. Yet without further intervention, the drone industry could be susceptible to massive intervention from the Communist Party of China, directly threatening our national security and economy. I’m proud to introduce bipartisan legislation to restore American leadership in the drone industry and ensure that the CCP can’t wreak havoc by spying on Americans or otherwise disrupting key functions of drone technology.”
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