Congress is pushing to ban Chinese vehicles, warning these ‘rolling data collection devices’ threaten national security and American manufacturing.
Rep. John Moolenaar (R-Mich.), chairman of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, and Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), chair of the House Democratic Policy and Communications Committee, announced plans to introduce bipartisan legislation to keep Chinese-connected vehicles off America’s roads.
“Every vehicle on American roads is a rolling data collection device, capturing information on location, movement, people, and infrastructure in real time, and we cannot allow Chinese vehicles or components to be a part of that system,” the lawmakers said in a joint statement on May 7.
The legislative push follows a series of direct warnings from the highest levels of the U.S. security establishment. The Department of Commerce finalized a rule in 2025 prohibiting certain transactions involving the sale or import of connected vehicles integrating specific pieces of hardware and software, or those components from China.
In 2024, then-FBI Director Christopher Wray testified before the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party in 2024 that the Chinese regime’s state-sponsored hackers, such as the Volt Typhoon group, are positioning themselves to be able to take down vital U.S. resources, including transportation systems, at a moment’s notice.
Bipartisan Bicameral Support
The House bill aligns with the Connected Vehicle Security Act of 2026 in the Senate, introduced by Sens. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) and Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.). Slotkin described Chinese vehicles as “surveillance packages on wheels,” emphasizing that the legislation provides the legal guardrails needed to prevent the Chinese regime from hollowing out the American auto industry.
The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation formally endorsed the proposed ban on May 7. The think tank said that Chinese firms are not normal market competitors but state-backed entities utilized for economic destabilization.
“From 2009 to 2023 alone, China channeled $230.9 billion in subsidies and other support to its domestic EV sector,” according to a report by the foundation.
By Arthur Zhang
