Senators Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) and Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) introduced the Connected Vehicle Security Act of 2026 to defend the American auto industry from the existential threat of predatory Chinese automobiles by banning them and their connected components from the American market.
Source: Elissa Slotkin
This bill would prohibit the import, sale, and operation of vehicles manufactured in China — or any other country of concern — and ban the use of Chinese-developed connected vehicle technologies, such as software, and data systems on American roads.
The Connected Vehicle Security Act of 2026:
■ Bans foreign adversary vehicles by prohibiting the importation, manufacture, sale, and resale of connected vehicles, software, and hardware linked to China or other foreign adversaries, including those from joint ventures or entities under their control.
■ Empowers the Department of Commerce to identify and block high-risk vehicle technologies, components, and transactions that threaten US economic or national security.
■ Establishes enforcement mechanisms to ensure prohibited technologies are kept out of the US market.
■ Phases implementation with vehicle and software restrictions taking effect in 2027, and hardware restrictions in 2030, giving US industry time secure domestic supply, in line with the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) Connected Vehicles rule.
AUVIS explains: "Connected vehicles collect and transmit vast amounts of sensitive data, including geolocation, operational, and personal information, and are capable of being remotely accessed and controlled. Vehicles and components linked to foreign adversaries create serious risks of surveillance, espionage, and disruption to critical infrastructure — risks that grow as autonomous and connected vehicle technologies become more deeply embedded across the US economy. "
"The American auto industry is the backbone of the American industrial economy, we cannot afford to make the same mistakes globalists have made for decades and see these great American companies devastated by predatory and massively subsidized Chinese state enterprises hellbent on the destruction of our economy," says Senator Moreno. "As Europe, Mexico, and others allow their markets to be overrun by Chinese predators, the US must act before it’s too late. The answer is simple: Chinese vehicles can never be allowed into the US market—the fate of the American auto industry and countless autoworkers depends on it."
"Chinese cars are a serious threat to America’s national security and Michigan’s economic security," says Senator Slotkin. "Chinese cars are surveillance packages on wheels, with the ability to collect on American citizens and sensitive sites. The Chinese Communist Party’s playbook of heavily subsidizing their product, underselling the competition, and then having a monopoly over that sector puts Michigan’s auto industry and our millions of workers at risk. We need to act now, and get this right. I look forward to continued work on this bill with Senator Moreno, our workers, our manufacturers and anyone else to stop Chinese vehicles from ever coming into the United States."
