Two Michigan members of Congress are trying to slam the door on Chinese-linked cars before they ever roll off a U.S. lot. On Monday, Reps. Debbie Dingell and John Moolenaar introduced a bipartisan bill that would bar vehicles with Chinese ties, along with the software and parts that run them, from being sold, built, or imported in the United States. Backers say the plan would help protect Detroit factories and suppliers from rock-bottom overseas competition and keep sensitive vehicle data out of adversaries’ hands. The proposal, called the Connected Vehicle Security Act, would sit on top of an existing Commerce Department rule that already restricts some connected-car technology.
What's in the bill
The House bill from Dingell and Moolenaar targets “connected vehicles” and key components linked to a “covered foreign adversary.” It would phase in a prohibition on importing, manufacturing, and selling those vehicles and parts in the U.S., with software restrictions beginning in model year 2027 and hardware limits kicking in later. The legislation also instructs the Commerce secretary to stand up a system for declarations of conformity, authorization and waiver procedures, and civil penalties for violations. Those timelines and procedures were laid out in detail in a release from Dingell's office.
“That’s not a level playing field,” Dingell said, arguing that subsidies, currency manipulation, and forced labor give some foreign automakers an unfair edge over U.S. plants and workers. She cast the bill as a bipartisan shield for domestic jobs and supplier networks, according to Dingell's office.
National security and data risks
Moolenaar is leaning hard on the national-security angle. He has warned that “every vehicle on American roads is a rolling data collection device,” and says systems tied to foreign adversaries could expose drivers’ location and movement data. His office argues the bill would make those risks a clear statutory concern and help prevent adversary influence in U.S. vehicle systems, according to the Select Committee on China.
Senate companion and backers
Over in the Senate, a companion bill filed last month by Sens. Elissa Slotkin and Bernie Moreno picked up support from the United Auto Workers and several industry coalitions that want to write the Commerce restrictions into law. Sponsors and supporters frame the effort as a way to lock in those protections so they are not easily undone by a future administration, according to Sen. Slotkin's office.
How this builds on Commerce rules
The whole push traces back to a Department of Commerce rule that took effect on January 14, 2025, restricting certain connected-vehicle software and hardware with links to China and Russia. Lawmakers say the new legislation would turn that agency's authority into explicit statute. The rule is already influencing model-year planning for covered software and hardware, and supporters argue a law would provide clearer enforcement tools, according to the Commerce Department.
Industry and analyst warnings
Auto executives and analysts have been sounding alarms about how ultra-cheap Chinese models abroad could upend markets and squeeze U.S. brands and suppliers. Paul Eisenstein, editor of Headlight. News, told CBS Detroit that some Chinese vehicles are showing up in other countries at price points around $10,000. If that kind of cut-rate pricing took hold in the United States, he warned, it could “tear down” established automakers. Supporters of the bill say that affordability pressure helps explain why the coalition behind it cuts across party lines.
What comes next
The sponsors’ materials say the bill would impose civil penalties of at least $1.5 million per violation and give Commerce a declaratory and waiver process so companies with compliant supply chains could seek approvals. From here, the measure heads to committee, where lawmakers are expected to dig into potential carve-outs, phase-in timing and enforcement details as automakers and suppliers press their case, according to the Select Committee on China.
