Moreno, Slotkin Gain Broad Support for Bill to Crackdown on Chinese Vehicles and Connected Parts

WASHINGTON – Senator Bernie Moreno’s bipartisan (R-Ohio) Connected Vehicle Security Act of 2026 is gaining support from a coalition of lawmakers, automakers, labor unions, and trade groups united in defending America’s industrial base and economic security.
“The Chinese Communist plan for automobiles is all too familiar: undermine U.S. industry through state subsidies and unfair labor practices, flood our market with Chinese goods, and then use those products to spy on Americans. Our bill puts an end to their scheme,” said Senator Tom Cotton.
“China is our greatest adversary. For years, they’ve bought up our nation’s fertile farmland, stolen our intellectual property, and released a worldwide virus killing millions of Americans—all in an attempt to destroy the greatest nation on earth. Now, they’re trying to invade our country with spy technologies disguised as cars,” said Senator Tuberville. “We must protect the American auto industry and American autoworkers by continuing to promote ‘Made in America’ policies that will strengthen our national security and our economic future.”
“American cars belong on American assembly lines, built by American workers. We must protect our auto industry from China’s predatory practices, which would destroy American companies and kill American jobs. I’m glad to partner with Senator Moreno on this bill to help expand manufacturing here at home,” said Senator Schmitt. “I’m optimistic that these policies will create more jobs and increase production in Missouri and across the United States.”
“Chinese vehicles should never be allowed in America,” said Senator Ricketts. “They threaten our national security, allowing for foreign surveillance, intelligence collection, and, in a potential military crisis, sabotage.  The risk they pose is simply too significant.  American automakers produce safe and reliable vehicles.  Our bill will support jobs in the American auto industry and protect our nation from Communist China’s predatory actions.”
“I am proud to co-sponsor the Connected Vehicle Security Act of 2026, which defends the American auto industry from China’s economic aggression. Now is the time to put common sense guardrails in place that will bring manufacturing back to the U.S. and keep us from being reliant on China,” Senator Capito said.
“We cannot allow the Chinese surveillance state to prey on the American auto industry. Chinese spyware in the form of vehicles and software has no place in our country,” said Senator Hawley. “Congress must act now to ban Chinese auto products from being imported, manufactured, or sold on US soil.”
“The American auto industry is vital for jobs, national security, and the future of America’s manufacturing base,” said House Select Committee on China Chairman John Moolenaar (R-Mich.). “China cheats in every industry, and in autos it is overproducing vehicles and components, and selling them for cheap in hopes they will put our companies out of business. In some cases, Chinese companies, including CATL and BYD, use slave labor to undercut the fair wages of hardworking Americans. These companies should not be allowed to do business in America, and their products shouldn’t be in our cars or threatening our infrastructure.”
“This bipartisan legislation will ban Chinese vehicles from coming into our country and undercutting our workers through massive government subsidies, unfair trade practices, and slave labor,” said Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.). “I am not interested in repeating the mistakes that hollowed out manufacturing communities across this country while politicians told workers globalization would somehow magically work itself out. America can compete with anyone in the world when there’s a level playing field because there is nobody better than the American worker. Auto workers are facing uncertainty, but I am certain about one thing: the future of the American auto industry must be built by American workers.”
“We commend Senators Moreno and Slotkin on their bipartisan work to protect the U.S. industrial base,” said Ford Motor Company. “We look forward to working with Congress as the bill moves through the legislative process.”
“As the largest auto manufacturer in Ohio, Honda commends Senators Bernie Moreno and Elissa Slotkin on introducing the Connected Vehicle Security Act, which seeks to provide a fair and competitive marketplace for U.S. automakers,” said Honda Motor Company. “As global competition in the automotive sector intensifies, the bill importantly recognizes how American economic and national security are increasingly connected. Honda looks forward to working with the sponsors as the legislation evolves.”
“The Connected Vehicle Security Act addresses important issues related to connected vehicle security and fair competition in the U.S. market,” said Stellantis. “We look forward to working with Senators Moreno and Slotkin on the details as their legislation moves forward.”
“Modern vehicles are rolling computers, and when their software or hardware is subject to Beijing’s control or influence, they pose unacceptable risks, from data collection to potential remote interference,” said Scott Paul, President, Alliance for American Manufacturing. “We applaud Senators Moreno and Slotkin for advancing bipartisan legislation that reinforces national security, supports American manufacturing, and provides long term certainty for workers, companies, and communities. The bill covers all classes of vehicles and will be a durable tool for keeping Chinese vehicles out of the U.S. market.”
“AISI applauds Senators Moreno and Slotkin for their leadership on introducing the Connected Vehicle Security Act of 2026,” said Kevin Dempsey, AISI president and CEO. “The American steel industry’s success is inextricably linked to the health of U.S. automotive manufacturing. When U.S. automakers compete on a fair and secure basis, American steelmakers thrive alongside them. Chinese state-subsidized vehicles, produced outside the bounds of fair trade and with serious national security implications, threaten to undermine the entire domestic supply chain—from research and development facilities to steel mills to the assembly lines. This bipartisan legislation takes an important step toward ensuring that the future of American mobility is built with American steel.”
“Chinese automakers are not normal market competitors. Their EVs are the product of decades of state-backed mercantilism designed to help China capture global leadership in advanced industries,” said Stephen Ezell, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation vice president of global innovation policy. “Congress is right to act before they gain a foothold in the U.S. market. The U.S. auto sector is one of America’s most important economic engines—anchoring millions of jobs, deep supplier networks, tens of billions of dollars in R&D, and critical dual-use manufacturing capabilities—and Chinese EVs represent the most significant threat it has faced in at least the past quarter-century. Once China’s subsidized firms are embedded in the U.S. market, the economic and national security damage would be far harder to reverse—and it would not be limited to Detroit. It would ripple across the broader industrial base, weakening America’s manufacturing capacity, innovation ecosystem, and strategic resilience. The goal should be clear: Keep Chinese vehicles out, whether they are imported or manufactured here, and enact a comprehensive industrial strategy to build a stronger, more innovative, and more globally competitive American auto industry.”
“China has a strategy to dominate global automotive and battery manufacturing that presents a challenge to American economic and national security,” said John Bozzella, President and CEO of Alliance for Automotive Innovation. “We need to make sure we’re all playing by the same rules, but Chinese automakers are flooding markets around the world with cut-rate vehicles. Sens. Moreno and Slotkin don’t want that to happen here. They’re right. The legislation they introduced today sends a clear message: The U.S. will not throw open the doors to Chinese automakers to manufacture or sell here. The details matter, and we’ll continue working with lawmakers to get this policy right, so all our member companies continue to succeed and thrive inside the U.S.”
“Ohio is home to a deep automotive supply chain and thousands of manufacturers competing every day in a global marketplace,” said Ryan Augsburger, President of Ohio Manufacturers’ Association . “We can compete with anyone, anywhere, when the rules are fair and critical technologies are protected. We appreciate Sens. Moreno and Slotkin for keeping the focus on supply chain security, fair competition, and the strength of American manufacturing.”
“SAFE strongly supports the Connected Vehicle Security Act which expands current law to combat the growing threat posed by Chinese automakers and suppliers, and the risks they pose to America’s economic and national security,” said Rachel McCleery, Executive Director of SAFE’s Coalition for Reimagined Mobility. “After gaining market access to Mexico and Canada, our geopolitical adversary is even closer to deploying vehicles on U.S. roads – vehicles that collect and transmit sensitive geolocation, infrastructure, and behavioral data at scale. This new legislation is a crucial step towards building secure and resilient supply chains, protecting our industrial base, and blocking real-time espionage and surveillance by foreign adversaries.”
“Make no mistake – China is aggressively trying to enter the American market so it can undercut American workers, eliminate good union jobs, and weaken our manufacturing base,” said Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien. “We cannot allow any technology that could be used for surveillance or data collection by a foreign adversary onto our roads or into our workplaces. Our elected officials can’t sit by while this threat grows. We commend Senators Moreno and Slotkin for taking decisive action before it is too late. We urge lawmakers in both parties to pass the Connected Vehicle Security Act.”
Read more about the Senators’ legislation HERE .