Like existing commerce rules, the bill would create a mechanism by which OEMs can apply for authorization “to allow otherwise prohibited vehicles to enter the US.”
The bill states, “Specific authorizations may be granted only under strict conditions, with both transparency and congressional oversight.” Customs and Border Protection will have 90 days to enforce the rules, which include [generating] A list of prohibited vehicles.
Stevens, speaking at a policy conference, said, “We’re going to be aggressive here because jobs in Michigan are at risk, but also national security is at risk. So close our border to Chinese vehicles and Chinese technology in vehicles, even for day trips. We believe we need to be just as aggressive right now.”
His partner in law went much further. “They can certainly come across the border, drive to Selfridge Air Force Base, take some video with the car. The car is a travel surveillance package. And all that data that the car is collecting is being sent straight to Beijing,” Slotkin said.
Senator Slotkin previously partnered with former car dealer Senator Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) on the Connected Vehicle Security Act of 2026, which appears to have a similar objective – keeping Chinese-made or Chinese-badged cars out of the US.
“This is an economic security issue and a national security issue, and we must stop these vehicles from going across our border and into our communities,” said Senator Slotkin. “They are surveillance packages on wheels – fully capable of geolocating individual drivers, collecting full-motion video, and mapping sensitive infrastructure sites, including our military. This bill is based on my bipartisan Connected Vehicle Security Act of 2026 and completely bans outfitted Chinese vehicles from driving in any capacity, even for just a day.”
In 2021, China banned Tesla from its military bases and other sensitive sites, but recently rescinded the ban after Tesla began complying with Chinese data protection laws, which, among other things, require automakers to hand over user data to the Chinese government. Recently, both the UK and Poland have banned the parking of Chinese-linked connected cars near sensitive military installations.
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