DJI drone ban bill back on table with NDAA amendment

Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) has submitted an amendment he intends to propose to the Senate Armed Services Committee’s annual defense policy bill, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2025. The amendment seeks to attach the Countering CCP Drones Act to the Senate’s version of the NDAA, thus reintroducing the call for a ban on the sale of new DJI drones in the US.

Scott has been a tenacious advocate for a Chinese drone ban in the US for years. His American Security Drone Act, which prohibits the federal government from buying Chinese drones, was recently signed into law. Even the Countering CCP Drones Act was first introduced by Scott and his colleagues in February 2022, urging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to add DJI to its Covered List and not approve any new equipment authorizations for DJI products.

Had the bill passed then, Americans would have been deprived of some of the best innovations from DJI including the world’s first triple camera system drone, the ultimate sub-250-gram drone with omnidirectional obstacle sensing, arguably the most fun beginner FPV drone, some of the most powerful and cost-effective portable commercial drones, an incredible full-frame 8K cinema drone, and a host of other imaging as well as non-imaging tech products.

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Attaching the Countering CCP Drones Act to the NDAA is kind of a back door for the bill on its path to becoming law because it has struggled to obtain support on its own. Scott used the same strategy last year to get the American Security Drone Act passed.

The senator is convinced that “Communist China funds technology, like drones made by DJI, to spy on Americans and steal their data.” He urges Americans to think of every China-manufactured drone as the spy balloon that made headlines last year. “Each [drone] has the ability to gather data or carry harmful payloads across America’s military installations, and target our critical infrastructure, natural resources, businesses, and families,” Scott stresses.

And that is why, in addition to DJI, Scott’s proposed NDAA amendment, co-sponsored by Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), calls for a ban on all new Autel Robotics drones too. Moreover, the new Countering CCP Drones Act text targets any entity in a joint venture with DJI or Autel as well as companies they may have provided tech licenses to (such as Anzu Robotics or Cogito Tech).

Every year, hundreds of amendments are introduced to both the Senate and House versions of the NDAA. Not all of them make it, but they are debated nonetheless. This amendment will also be discussed when the Senate considers its version of the NDAA FY25. And then there will be a final reconciliation between the two versions, after which the bill will land on President Joe Biden’s desk for final approval.

There’s a lot that can happen between now and then. But if you’re worried about the Countering CCP Drones Act, this is the best time to request a meeting (in person or virtually) with your members of Congress and share with them why you use the drones you use and how a ban would impact you.

Meanwhile, DJI has issued its response to the amendment.

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