WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Rick Scott announced the introduction of the Drones for America Act to build on his efforts to ban Chinese-made drones and components in the United States, which pose a severe national security risk, and strengthen American production. This legislation will implement a ban on Chinese-manufactured drone systems by January 1, 2028 and Chinese-manufactured components by January 1, 2031, and implement a gradually-increasing tariff on these items until full bans are in effect to phase them out of the market. Tariff revenue will fund a grant program, established by the Drones for America Act, to support the procurement and development of U.S.-manufactured drones and components for first responders, law enforcement, farmers, ranchers, and others.

Senator Scott successfully passed his American Security Drone Act as part of the FY24 NDAA and built on this effort by successfully fighting for the inclusion of provisions of his Countering CCP Drones Act to be included in the FY25 NDAA. His new bill, the Drones for America Act, builds on his work to phase out Chinese drones’ presence in the United States and to support American manufacturers in the industry.

Senator Rick Scott said, “For years now, I have been working to stop Communist China from pushing drones and other items into U.S. markets for use by our military and everyday Americans because of their clear national security risk. Communist China is our adversary, willing to use every tool at their disposal to destroy us, and they have been using technology like drones to spy on our citizens, our lands, our military, and our government. As we work to build American manufacturing and stop our reliance on our adversaries, my new bill, the Drones for America Act, will work to phase Chinese-made drones and components out of the market and give domestic industries the opportunity to compete and thrive. This is a critical bill to protect our national security and American families, and stop fueling Communist China’s ambitions for global domination.”

Michael Robbins, President and CEO of the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), said, “The Drones for America Act represents a pragmatic approach to strengthening U.S. leadership in drone manufacturing and reducing dependence on adversarial suppliers. By setting thoughtful guardrails around procurement, this legislation supports public safety agencies, farmers, and infrastructure operators as they transition to trusted domestic and ally-sourced platforms, while also helping component suppliers ramp up manufacturing through direct grants and increased demand. Reducing adversary dependence is a necessary step to reinforce our domestic industrial base, enhance national security, and ensure that operators have access to secure and reliable drones and components.”

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