Joyce leads bill prohibiting use of federal dollars to buy foreign drones

U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce (R-OH) on June 9 offered a bipartisan bill that would implement a ban for federal agencies, and state and local governments, from using U.S. tax dollars to purchase drones manufactured by entities with ties to countries of concern, specifically China.

“Drones made by companies owned by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) are effectively China’s modern-day Trojan Horse, yet federal agencies and countless state and local governments continue to purchase them,” Rep. Joyce said. “I will continue to work in a bipartisan manner to confront the grave security threat posed by countries like China.”

Rep. Joyce sponsored the Securing Our Airspace from Reconnaissance (SOAR) Act, H.R. 3974, with five original cosponsors, including U.S. Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Jake Auchincloss (D-MA).

“The SOAR Act will ban the use of these foreign-made drones and encourage the production of American-made alternatives, protecting Americans’ data and promoting domestic innovation,” said Rep. Joyce. 

Additionally, H.R. 3974 would increase oversight on the heads of agencies that request a waiver for this ban, requiring Congress to be notified whenever a waiver is requested and requiring that these waivers be renewed annually, according to a bill summary provided by Rep. Joyce’s staff.

H.R. 3974 also would direct the U.S. Secretary of Defense to expand existing partnerships with the private sector to promote domestic production of secure, American-made drones, the summary says. 

“Foreign-made drones, particularly those made under the CCP’s regime, are a threat to our national security. They allow foreign companies to access and control sensitive data, including information about critical infrastructure and law enforcement activities,” said Rep. Auchincloss. “The SOAR Act will eliminate that vulnerability and instead spur U.S. manufacturing for drones.”

The bill is supported by FDD Action and has been referred to the U.S. House Oversight and Accountability Committee and the U.S. House Armed Services Committee for consideration.