Bill addresses China-affiliated drone purchases

U.S. Reps. Garret Graves (R-LA) and Seth Moulton (D-MA) have introduced a bill seeking to prohibit the use of federal grants to purchase drones produced by companies associated with the Chinese government.

The Infrastructure Grant Security Act ensures the increased integration of drones does not pose a threat to or undermine benefits derived to the nation’s communities by the technology.

“The use of drones will keep advancing, innovating, and supporting American jobs and improve our global competitiveness,” Graves said. “But as we use advanced technologies to better support our nation’s infrastructure, it’s imperative that we do so in a way that protects national security. It’s our job to ensure that as we use taxpayer funds to rebuild American infrastructure, we build up America instead of China.”

Per Graves, the nation’s security agencies have raised concerns regarding the security of Chinese-made drones. The measure determines federal grants will not be used to purchase drones manufactured and engineered by Chinese government-affiliated entities.

“Our Infrastructure Grant Security Act would make sure federal dollars are not spent on Chinese drones,” Moulton said. “This important step would block China from easy access to sensitive data in the U.S. and strengthen our national security. The new infrastructure law will help bring advanced technology to our communities, like smart grids and sensors, to improve transportation and energy efficiency. Drones are part of that vision, but we can’t allow Chinese-manufactured drones to threaten our security and privacy — especially since we also make them right here in Massachusetts.”