The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee approved a series of six nominations and seven bills on Wednesday, including a measure to limit the use of vehicles and vehicle technologies developed by foreign entities of concern on American roadways.
The bill, introduced by Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, and co-sponsored by Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., would ban the import, sale and operation of vehicles manufactured by companies deemed “foreign entities of concern,” based in certain adversarial nations such as China. It would also ban the use of technologies developed by such countries, including Chinese-developed connected vehicle technologies, in the U.S.
“This is a very simple thing that we’re doing today, and quite frankly, I wish our allies had done this before. What we’re doing is we’re preventing a massive national security threat,” Moreno said. “Now, I don’t want anybody listening to this to worry about their automobile, but your automobiles today are roving electronic devices.”
He explained that remote accessibility technologies — including remote lock and ignition controls — are a concern when the companies that made the vehicles or technologies are deemed foreign entities of concern, or FECs. Those governments, Moreno said, would be able to take control of vehicle owners’ steering, braking and acceleration.
