Drone Origin Security Enhancement Act

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, the Department of Homeland Security is charged with protecting Americans here at home, and it is critical that the technologies used to carry out this mission are secure. The risk posed by certain foreign drone manufacturers is well documented and presents a national security threat.

Chinese-manufactured drones could provide a backdoor for the Chinese Government to access sensitive flight data from drones used by DHS. My bill, H.R. 4753, seeks to address this vulnerability.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has stated that these unmanned aircraft systems are a potential risk to an organization's information and that drones could contain components that could compromise your data.

The potential for comprised data to fall into the hands of a foreign government should concern everyone. It threatens to disrupt the law enforcement and national security objectives of DHS.

My bill, the Drone Origin Security Enhancement Act, addresses the threat by prohibiting DHS from acquiring unmanned aircraft systems manufactured in a foreign country labeled a strategic competitor by the Department of Defense. This is similar to a prohibition included in the National Defense Authorization Act of 2019 for the military.

Simply put, my bill will ensure that DHS is not using drone equipment from a foreign government that our military already views as a threat.

Much like the Department of Defense, DHS and its components have a critical mission. The risk introduced into these missions by foreign- manufactured drones is not something that can be ignored. This legislation addresses this very real threat and will keep our adversaries from compromising the technology we use to keep Americans safe.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from New Mexico for her leadership on this bill. I urge my colleagues to pass H.R. 4753, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. TORRES SMALL of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4753 takes the much-needed step of protecting the Department of Homeland Security from cybersecurity threats associated with certain foreign-made drones.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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