Sponsors (2)
The bill tightens national-security protections by banning use of certain foreign-controlled UGVs to reduce cyber and supply-chain risks, but does so at the cost of higher procurement expenses, potential operational gaps, and reliance on agency discretion that could weaken oversight or consistency.
Federal agencies, government contractors, military personnel, and taxpayers will be barred from procuring or operating UGVs made by covered foreign entities, reducing the risk of foreign data exfiltration or remote control and lowering cyber/supply-chain risk to critical missions (e.g., border security, emergency response).
DHS, DOD, State, and DOJ will be allowed to use otherwise-prohibited UGVs for testing, research, or forensic analysis under narrow conditions, preserving legitimate intelligence and counter-threat capabilities.
Federal agencies may use UGVs from covered entities if those systems are modified to prevent data transfer and are cleared as posing no cybersecurity risk, enabling agencies to retain needed operational capability when secure alternatives are unavailable.
Border communities, federal employees, and military units could face operational capability gaps during the one-year transition or thereafter if suitable domestic or allied UGV alternatives are unavailable, degrading missions like border security and emergency response.
Taxpayers, government contractors, and agencies may incur higher procurement costs and delays while replacing prohibited UGVs with alternatives not made by covered entities.
Determinations that modified systems pose 'no national security cybersecurity risk' are subjective and could allow insecure equipment to be used if oversight is weak, exposing operations and data to risk.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Bars executive agencies from buying—and after one year, operating—unmanned ground vehicles made or assembled by covered foreign entities, and forbids federal funds for such systems with narrow exemptions.
Introduced March 26, 2026 by Thomas Bryant Cotton · Last progress March 26, 2026
Prohibits executive branch agencies from procuring unmanned ground vehicle systems made or assembled by certain covered foreign entities, and—after one year—bars operating such systems and using federal funds to procure or operate them. Agency heads at DHS, DOD, State, and Justice may grant narrow exemptions for national‑interest activities limited to research, testing, training, evaluation, or if the system cannot transfer data to the covered foreign entity and is judged to pose no cybersecurity or national security risk.