Sponsors (2)
The bill strengthens national security and protects taxpayer funds by banning UGVs tied to hostile foreign actors, but does so at the cost of procurement expenses, potential near-term capability gaps, and harm to some contractors and small businesses.
Federal employees and government systems will face reduced cybersecurity and data-exfiltration risk because the bill bans UGVs made or controlled by hostile foreign entities.
Taxpayers and federal budgets will be protected because the bill limits use of federal funds on potentially risky foreign-made UGVs, reducing exposure to supply-chain and espionage vulnerabilities.
Law-enforcement and military personnel will retain access to needed capabilities because the bill allows narrow exemptions for security-focused agencies to use UGVs for research, testing, or national-interest missions.
Law enforcement, border communities, and other operational users could experience near-term capability gaps if agencies cannot quickly source compliant UGVs, reducing surveillance or patrol effectiveness.
Government contractors and federal agencies will incur procurement and transition costs to replace or modify banned UGVs, increasing short-term expenditures.
Small businesses and suppliers with foreign ownership or ties may be excluded from federal markets, harming firms that rely on government contracts.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Bars federal agencies from buying or operating UGVs made/assembled by covered foreign entities, with a one-year phase for stopping operations and limited national-security exemptions.
Introduced March 26, 2026 by Thomas Bryant Cotton · Last progress March 26, 2026
Prohibits executive branch agencies from buying or using unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) systems that are made or assembled by certain foreign entities tied to covered nations. The ban on new purchases takes effect immediately at enactment; operation or use of existing covered systems is barred beginning one year after enactment unless a narrow national-security exemption applies or the system is altered to remove data transfers and cybersecurity risks as certified by the agency head.