Protecting America from Chinese Cars Act of 2026

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4710 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4710

  To prohibit the entry into the United States of connected vehicles
                  associated with foreign adversaries.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              June 9, 2026

  Ms. Slotkin introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
                  referred to the Committee on Finance

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

  To prohibit the entry into the United States of connected vehicles
                  associated with foreign adversaries.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Protecting America from Chinese Cars
Act of 2026''.

SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON ENTRY INTO THE UNITED STATES OF CONNECTED
              VEHICLES ASSOCIATED WITH FOREIGN ADVERSARIES.

    (a) In General.--A connected vehicle may not enter, or otherwise be
transported or conveyed into, the United States if--
            (1) the country of origin of the connected vehicle is a
        covered country or the connected vehicle is designed within a
        covered country; or
            (2) the manufacturer of the connected vehicle is a joint
        venture, subsidiary, or other entity in which more than 15
        percent of the equity interest, voting interest, board
        representation, or other indicia of control, whether directly
        or indirectly, is owned or controlled by an entity, or
        combination of entities, organized under the laws of, or with
        its principal place of business in, a covered country.
    (b) Exception.--The prohibition under subsection (a) shall not
apply to the entry, or other transportation or conveyance, of a
connected vehicle into the United States if the vehicle--
            (1) is not intended to be driven on public roads; and
            (2) is being brought into the United States for the sole
        purpose of testing and evaluation by an entity that--
                    (A) is organized under the laws of a State in the
                United States;
                    (B) does not have its principal place of business
                in a covered country; and
                    (C) is not 25 percent or more, whether directly or
                indirectly, owned or controlled by an entity, or
                combination of entities, organized under the laws of,
                or with its principal place of business in, a covered
                country.
    (c) Authorizations.--
            (1) Issuance.--
                    (A) In general.--The Commissioner, in consultation
                with the Secretary of Commerce, may issue a general or
                specific authorization for a connected vehicle that
                would otherwise be subject to the prohibition under
                subsection (a) to enter the United States if--
                            (i) the Secretary determines, based on
                        clear and convincing evidence and a written
                        risk assessment, that the vehicle does not
                        pose, and is not reasonably likely to pose--
                                    (I) an undue risk of data
                                exfiltration or of being remotely
                                manipulated or operated;
                                    (II) a risk to critical
                                infrastructure or the integrity of the
                                industrial base of the United States;
                                or
                                    (III) any other risk to the
                                national security of the United States;
                            (ii) not less than 60 days before the
                        authorization takes effect, the Commissioner
                        submits to Congress a detailed written
                        notification, including the determination under
                        clause (i) and underlying analysis, including
                        the written risk assessment; and
                            (iii) during the 60-day period described in
                        clause (ii), there is not enacted into law a
                        joint resolution of disapproval with respect to
                        the authorization of the item.
                    (B) Modification or revocation of general or
                specific authorizations.--The Commissioner may, at any
                time, modify, suspend, or revoke a general or specific
                authorization issued under subparagraph (A) if the
                Secretary--
                            (i) determines that the authorization no
                        longer satisfies the requirements of
                        subparagraph (A)(i); and
                            (ii) provides the public with an
                        opportunity to comment before modifying,
                        suspending, or revoking the authorization.
            (2) Publication of list of authorized items.--
                    (A) In general.--The Secretary shall publish,
                pursuant to section 553 of title 5, United States Code,
                and maintain a list of the connected vehicles with
                respect to which an authorization under paragraph (1)
                has been issued. The initial such list shall be
                published not later than January 1, 2027.
                    (B) Inclusions.--
                            (i) In general.--To the extent possible,
                        the Secretary shall include, in the list
                        required by subparagraph (A), the manufacturer
                        and make and model for each connected vehicle
                        on the list.
                            (ii) Risk assessment.--To the extent
                        possible, the Secretary shall include, in the
                        list required by subparagraph (A), a detailed
                        explanation about why each connected vehicle on
                        the list does not pose a risk described in
                        paragraph (1)(A).
            (3) Requests for authorization.--Not later than January 1,
        2027, the Commissioner shall establish a procedure pursuant to
        which a manufacturer of connected vehicles may seek
        authorization under paragraph (1) for the entry in the United
        States of a connected vehicle that would otherwise be subject
        to the prohibition under subsection (a).
    (d) Regulations.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Commissioner, in consultation with the
Secretary of Commerce, shall prescribe regulations to implement this
section that include--
            (1) a list of connected vehicles subject to the prohibition
        under subsection (a); and
            (2) a plan for disseminating information about those
        vehicles to the public.
    (e) Effective Date; Applicability.--The prohibition under
subsection (a) shall--
            (1) take effect on the date that is 30 days after the
        regulations required by subsection (d) are published in the
        Federal Register; and
            (2) apply to connected vehicles attempted to be entered, or
        otherwise transported or conveyed into, the United States on
        and after the date described in paragraph (1).
    (f) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Commissioner.--The term ``Commissioner'' means the
        Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
            (2) Connected vehicle.--
                    (A) In general.--Except as provided by subparagraph
                (B), the term ``connected vehicle'' means a vehicle
                driven or drawn by mechanical power and manufactured
                primarily for use on public streets, roads, and
                highways, that integrates onboard networked hardware
                with automotive software systems to communicate via
                dedicated short-range communication, cellular
                telecommunications connectivity, satellite
                communication, or other wireless spectrum connectivity
                with any other network or device.
                    (B) Exclusion.--The term ``connected vehicle'' does
                not include a vehicle operated only on a rail line.
            (3) Country of origin.--The term ``country of origin'',
        with respect to a vehicle, means the country--
                    (A) in which the vehicle is manufactured; or
                    (B) the government of which owns or controls, or
                has jurisdiction or direction over--
                            (i) the entity manufacturing the vehicle;
                        or
                            (ii) the entity supplying the vehicle.
            (4) Covered country.--The term ``covered country'' means--
                    (A) the Democratic People's Republic of North
                Korea;
                    (B) the People's Republic of China;
                    (C) the Russian Federation; and
                    (D) the Islamic Republic of Iran.
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