Slotkin introduces bill that would prevent Chinese vehicles from entering U.S.
Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin introduced a bill Thursday she says is aimed at preventing Chinese vehicles from entering the U.S. It marks the first time that Slotkin has introduced a bill since winning a U.S. Senate seat in November.
The bill, called the Connected Vehicle National Security Review Act, would "provide more explicit statutory authority, strengthening protections against national security risks and ensuring more durable protection against Chinese connected vehicles."
"I will lay down on the border to keep Chinese vehicles from entering the U.S. market. This is my first bill I'm introducing in the Senate, and it's for a reason," Slotkin said in a statement.
Slotkin is a former Central Intelligence Agency officer who worked in national security roles in the Pentagon during the Bush and Obama administrations. The Democrat from Holly proposed a similar bill as a member of the U.S. House in June 2024, but that bill was not voted on.
The legislation gives the Department of Commerce the ability to ban connected vehicles or components from entering the U.S. if they pose a national security threat.
If passed, the Department of Commerce can review and potentially block the sale, importation or transaction that involves a "connected vehicle or component designed, built, or supplied by anyone controlled by or subject to the jurisdiction of a country of concern, including China." That would include components and connected vehicles manufactured by Chinese companies that operate in third-party countries like Mexico.
"Chinese vehicles could collect huge amounts of data on America and Americans, which poses a significant national security threat. Americans' personal data, our infrastructure, Michigan's auto industry and auto jobs are all at stake," Slotkin said. "Chinese vehicles, which are dirt cheap thanks to state subsidies, could collect full motion video of sensitive sites, 3-D mapping, and geolocation of individual drivers – all of which could be sent back to Beijing. Despite the polarization in Washington right now, protecting U.S. citizens should be nonpartisan, and I look forward to working in a bipartisan fashion to pass this legislation into law."
Slotkin's office says she plans to introduce another bill aimed at the broader Information and Communications Technology and Services supply chain.
