Keep China Out of Solar Energy Act of 2025

This bill would stop federal agencies from using federal money to buy solar panels made or put together by companies based in China or controlled by the Chinese government or Communist Party. It also bans using government purchase cards to buy those panels. The administration would update federal purchasing rules within 180 days to put this in place.

There’s a narrow exception: an agency could ask for a waiver only if it proves the Chinese-linked company is the only workable source, and the Secretaries of State and Homeland Security both agree. Waiver requests would be tracked and reported quarterly. The Government Accountability Office would report to Congress within 275 days on how many such panels agencies have been buying. Within one year, an independent study would look at U.S. solar panel production, how fast it can improve, and the global supply chain. “Solar panel” here means crystalline silicon PV cells and modules, and “covered entities” are companies in or controlled by China, as determined by the Department of Homeland Security.

• Who is affected: Federal agencies, contractors and grantees using federal funds, and solar manufacturers tied to China.
• What changes: Federal money and purchase cards could not be used to buy covered Chinese-made panels; limited waivers; new reports and a market study.
• When: Rules updated within 180 days; GAO report within 275 days; market study within one year (then sent to Congress soon after).