Bipartisan US lawmakers push bill to ban Chinese-linked vehicles over security fears

Rep. John Moolenaar, chairman of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, and Rep. Debbie Dingell, chair of the House Democratic Policy and Communications Committee, announced that they plan to introduce bipartisan legislation aimed at preventing Chinese-linked vehicles from operating on American roads, according to a report by The Epoch Times (TET).

Rep. John Moolenaar, chairman of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, and Rep. Debbie Dingell, chair of the House Democratic Policy and Communications Committee, announced that they plan to introduce bipartisan legislation aimed at preventing Chinese-linked vehicles from operating on American roads, according to a report by The Epoch Times (TET). In a joint statement released on May 7, the lawmakers said that every vehicle travelling on US roads functions as a "rolling data collection device," capable of gathering real-time information related to location, movement, individuals, and infrastructure. They stated that Chinese vehicles or components should not be allowed to become part of that system.

The proposed legislation comes amid growing concerns from US national security officials. In 2025, the United States Department of Commerce finalised regulations banning certain transactions involving the sale or import of connected vehicles containing specific hardware or software from China, as well as related components. Earlier in 2024, then-Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo warned that connected vehicles originating from countries considered adversaries, including China, could potentially be used as weapons. As quoted in the TET report, Raimondo said, "Imagine if there were thousands or hundreds of thousands of Chinese-connected vehicles on American roads that could be immediately and simultaneously disabled by someone in Beijing."

Moolenaar had also previously outlined a possible conflict scenario during a December 2025 hearing titled "Trojan Horse: China's Auto Threat to America." According to the TET report, he said that in the event of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, senior US officials rushing toward the Pentagon and White House to coordinate a response could find roads obstructed if Chinese-made vehicles suddenly stalled, swerved, or locked their brakes. Alongside concerns about physical disruption, officials have also highlighted cybersecurity risks. Former FBI Director Christopher Wray testified in 2024 that Chinese state-backed hacking groups, including Volt Typhoon, were positioning themselves to potentially disrupt critical US infrastructure, such as transportation systems, at any given moment.

Apart from cyber and national security concerns, the proposed legislation is also intended to shield the American manufacturing sector from what lawmakers describe as predatory economic practices. Stephen Ezell warned in a September 2025 analysis that permitting Chinese Communist Party-backed automakers to enter the US market, even through manufacturing plants located in the United States, could create what he described as an "extinction-level event" for the American automobile industry. According to the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, the Chinese government directed approximately USD 230.9 billion in subsidies toward its electric vehicle industry between 2009 and 2023. The foundation stated that these subsidies enabled Chinese companies to undercut international rivals and severely damage foreign manufacturing industries.

The House proposal mirrors the Connected Vehicle Security Act of 2026, introduced in the Senate by Sens. Bernie Moreno and Elissa Slotkin. Slotkin has previously referred to Chinese vehicles as "surveillance packages on wheels" and stated that the legislation would establish the necessary legal protections to stop China from weakening the American automotive industry, according to the TET report. (ANI)