Stefanik’s Countering CCP Drones Act Passes House – sUAS News

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Elise Stefanik’s legislation the Countering CCP Drones Act will add Communist Chinese drone company Da-Jiang Innovations (DJI) to the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Covered List prohibiting new models of DJI drones from operating on U.S. communications infrastructure. This passed on the House Floor with overwhelming unanimous bipartisan support. 

“The House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed my legislation the Countering CCP Drones Act to end the drone monopoly Communist Chinese DJI held in the U.S., protect our skies, and build the U.S. drone industrial base. For years, the U.S. government has known that DJI presents unacceptable economic and national security risks but no one was willing to take the necessary steps to remove Communist Chinese spy drones from our skies. That changed today,” said Congresswoman Elise Stefanik. “It is strategically irresponsible to allow Communist China to be our drone factory. It is now critical that the Senate include this legislation in their National Defense Authorization Act.”

In March, Rep. Stefanik’s bipartisan Countering CCP Drones Act was marked upunanimously through the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Additionally, the Countering CCP Drones Act is included in the House-passed National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025.

The U.S. government has certified multiple times that DJI presents a legitimate national security risk and there needs to be actions taken to mitigate these risks. Adding DJI to the Covered List would be consistent with actions taken throughout the U.S. Government, including:

• In August 2017, an Intelligence Bulletin from a Department of Homeland Security Field Office stated DJI is providing sensitive U.S. data to the Chinese Government.
• In the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020, Congress banned the Department of Defense from purchasing and using drones and components manufactured in Communist China.
• In December 2020, the Department of Commerce added DJI to its“Entity List” for its role in enabling China’s wide-scale human rights abuses.
• In July 2021, the Department of Defense statedthat DJI systems pose a threat to U.S. national security and that mitigating the threats posed by DJI is a priority for the Department. 
• In December 2021, the Department of the Treasury added DJI to its list of Chinese Military-Industrial Complex companies, due to DJI’s support of biometric surveillance and tracking of ethnic and religious minorities in China. 
• In October 2022, DJI was added to the Department of Defense’s 1260H Chinese Military Company list because of DJI’s role in advancing the modernization efforts of the People’s Liberation Army. 
• In January 2024, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation released cybersecurity guidance which states that Chinese-manufactured drones pose a significant risk to critical infrastructure and U.S. national security. 
• In January 2024, the Department of Defense recertified DJI on its 1260H Chinese Military Company list. 

Congresswoman Stefanik has led initiatives to counter the threats of Chinese-manufactured drones and build the U.S. drone industrial base:

• In February 2022, Congresswoman Stefanik first introduced the Countering CCP Drones Act.
• In April 2023, Congresswoman Stefanik reintroduced the Countering CCP Drones Act.
• In November 2023, she co-led the American Security Drone Act and successfully advocated for its inclusion in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024. 
• In November 2023, Congresswoman Stefanik co-led a bipartisan letter urging the Biden Administration to investigate CCP-backed drone company, Autel Robotics.
• In December 2023, Congresswoman Stefanik led a bicameral letter demanding oversight into the Department of Defense’s role in allowing U.S. companies to export critical components to DJI. 
• In March 2024, Congresswoman Stefanik called out former Obama Attorney General for lobbying on behalf of DJI. 
• In May 2024, Congresswoman Stefanik introduced the Drones for First Responders Act to implement a new tariff on Communist Chinese-controlled drones and use the tariff revenue to establish a new grant program to help first responders, critical infrastructure providers, and farmers, purchase secure drones.
• In May 2024, Congresswoman Stefanik led a letter urging the Department of Justice to open an investigation into the Drone Advocacy Alliance, which is funded by Communist Chinese drone company DJI, for potential violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
• In September 2024, Congresswoman Stefanik led a letter to USDA and CISA requesting information on their efforts to mitigate the risks of DJI-manufactured agricultural spray drones to the United States and our agriculture industry. 

Read the full text of the Countering CCP Drones Act here.