Washington, D.C. - In case you missed it, today, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik spoke on the House Floor to advocate for her bill, the Countering CCP Drones Act, which would curb the use of Chinese-manufactured drones across state and local agencies, including police departments. This is critical to U.S. national security and enhances American drone manufacturing, ending our reliance on China and deterring the surveillance of critical American infrastructure.
View a transcript of her remarks below:
“I rise today in support of my bipartisan legislation the Countering CCP Drones Act.
First, I want to thank Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Chairman Latta, Ranking Member Pallone, and the Energy and Commerce Committee for their bipartisan support of this legislation and others that seek to end Communist China’s malign influence in America.
Additionally, I want to thank my colleague, Majority Leader Scalise, for bringing these bills to the floor that clearly demonstrate that House Republicans will continue to lead in countering Communist China.
The Chinese Communist Party is working to undermine American sovereignty by forcing Americans to rely and depend on unsecure Communist Chinese technology.
Nowhere is this more evident than in the drone industry.
In 2015, the CCP launched the “Made in China 2025” initiative which leveraged aggressive subsidies, direct CCP investment, and unfair trade practices to artificially drive down the cost of Chinese-manufactured drones undercutting American companies and ensuring the rest of the world was forced to rely on Communist China for unsecure drone technology.
Due to these authoritarian policies, America has been flooded with drones manufactured by CCP-controlled drone company DJI.
Allowing artificially cheap DJI drones to monopolize our skies has decimated American drone manufacturing and given our greatest strategic adversary eyes in our skies.
Over the last seven years, the U.S. government has publicly confirmed time and time again that DJI drones are being used to collect information on U.S. critical infrastructure and pose significant risks to U.S. national security.
Moreover, DJI is on the U.S. Department of Defense list of Chinese Military Companies because it directly advances the modernization efforts of the People’s Liberation Army.
Not only does DJI improve the equipment of our greatest strategic adversary, which could one day be used against U.S. service members, they also actively aid the CCP in carrying out genocidal crimes against ethnic minorities.
It is past time we end Communist China’s role as the world’s drone factory.
My legislation, the Countering CCP Drones Act, will place DJI on the FCC’s Covered List, which will prohibit new models of DJI drones from operating in America.
This will initiate a much-needed transition period to improve the competitiveness of U.S. drone companies, remove Chinese spy drones from our skies, and end our reliance on CCP-manufactured drones.
For too long we have allowed Communist China leverage over our critical industries through their malign drone monopoly.
As drones become increasingly integrated into our military, law enforcement, agriculture, and critical infrastructure, the U.S. must build our domestic manufacturing capabilities.
Make no mistake, Communist China will use the successes of its “Made in China 2025” initiative to undercut American global leadership and domestic security.
We have three months to reverse the course of these successes. The passage of my Countering CCP Drones Act is a critical step in that direction.
I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill.”
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