US Bill Seeks to Ban Federal Government From Buying, Using Chinese Drones

DJI Inspire 1 quadcopter drone flies at the DJI stand at the 2015 IFA consumer electronics and appliances trade fair in Berlin, Germany, on Sept. 4, 2015. Sean Gallup/Getty Images

A bipartisan group of senators is seeking to prevent national security risks associated with drones made in China by prohibiting the U.S. government from procuring them.

Named the American Security Drone Act of 2019 (S.2502), the bill introduced on Sept. 18 would ban federal departments and agencies from buying any commercial off-the-shelf drone or small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), either manufactured or assembled in countries deemed a national security threat to the United States. China was named among those countries, as well as Iran.