Moolenaar, Obernolte, McClellan Introduce Legislation to Ban Dangerous Chinese Robots
Today, Chairman John Moolenaar of the Select Committee on China (R-MI), Congressman Jay Obernolte (R-CA), and Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan (D-VA) introduced the bipartisan Guarding the U.S. Against Adversarial Robotics Dominance (GUARD) Act. The legislation requires scrutiny of robots made by China and other foreign adversaries and would prohibit the importation of robots determined to be a national security threat to the United States.
“Robots made by China are a threat to national security, critical infrastructure, and American workers. They contain backdoors that can be hijacked for espionage, and our legislation will stop these threats now before China can embed them throughout America,” said Moolenaar. “Fueled by generous state subsidies, Unitree and other Chinese robotics companies are cheating against American robot makers, flooding the market with artificially cheap products, possibly bankrupting our companies, and leaving us dependent on China. These firms are also closely connected with the Chinese military, and they use their revenue to develop weaponized robots. We must act today to ban malign foreign-made robots to protect the safety of Americans.”
“As robotics become more deeply integrated into our economy, we must ensure that the communications equipment and services powering these systems are secure, trusted, and not subject to exploitation by foreign adversaries,” Obernolte said. “The GUARD Act is a commonsense step towards protecting our national security, supporting American robotics companies, and ensuring the United States leads in the next generation of trusted robotics technology.”
“As China, Russia, Iran and North Korea devise new ways to undermine our safety and well-being in our own homes, we must remain vigilant to potential national security risks that harm, manipulate or exploit our most vulnerable, especially children,” said McClellan. “We must keep communications equipment and services that pose a threat to our country out of our households, offices and shared spaces."
The legislation directs national security agencies to review adversary-produced humanoid and quadruped robots for national security risks. Products that are determined to present unacceptable national security risks will be placed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on its Covered List, prohibiting the machines from the United States. Products that are not reviewed within one year will be automatically added to the Covered List.
Last year, Moolenaar and every member of the Select Committee sent a bipartisan letter to administration officials warning of the growing national security threat posed by Chinese robotics firm Unitree. The letter called for designations of Unitree on the Pentagon’s 1260H Chinese military companies list, the Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) Entity List, and the FCC Covered List.
Endorsements for the GUARD Act
“AUVSI applauds the leadership of Chairman Moolenaar, Rep. McClellan, and Rep. Obernolte in introducing the GUARD Act,” said Michael Robbins, President and CEO of AUVSI. “As robotics become more deeply embedded across the U.S. economy and manufacturing base, it is imperative that we protect against high-risk Chinese Communist Party-controlled systems that could expose sensitive data, create persistent access, or enable remote disruption. The GUARD Act establishes an important framework to identify and restrict adversarial robotics before strategic dependence takes hold.”
“Agility welcomes the introduction of the GUARD Act to address the national security, safety, and economic concerns posed by Chinese-made humanoid robots,” said Peggy Johnson, Chief Executive Officer of Agility Robotics. “This legislation sends an important market signal as U.S. robotics companies continue investing in resilient supply chains, domestic manufacturing capabilities, and trusted technologies. We believe these efforts will help strengthen America’s industrial base and reinforce U.S. leadership in the next generation of robotics.”
“The GUARD Act of 2026 closes a real and growing gap in our national security framework by brining foreign-made robotics communications equipment under the same scrutiny we already apply to other sensitive technologies,” said Alexandria Paolozzi Moore, Senior Director of Government Relations for FDD Action. “Robots that navigate our physical spaces, collect sensor data, and operate autonomously present unique risks when produced or controlled by entities beholden to adversarial governments. Congress should move swiftly to advance this bill. The threats it addresses are not hypothetical, and the window to act is narrowing.”
“China’s robotics sector does not operate independently from the state. Under Beijing’s military-civil fusion strategy, commercial robotics firms, sensor manufacturers, AI developers, and battery suppliers are being integrated into the People’s Liberation Army’s modernization efforts. As these systems become more capable and more connected, they raise legitimate concerns about data security, network exposure, and dual-use risks. Any foreign adversary-linked robotics platform operating in the United States warrants careful national security scrutiny,” said Craig Singleton, China Program Senior Director and Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
“Chinese Communist Party-controlled robots is how Beijing turns the far-fetched plot of Red Dawn into reality. Instead of crossing the Pacific Ocean and invading our homeland, the People's Liberation Army could exploit back-door access to control robots in American homes, neighborhoods, stores, and offices. Washington needs to get ahead of this threat, particularly given the coming robotics revolution. The GUARD Act would address this threat to the homeland by leveraging the FCC's Covered List to block the use of CCP-controlled robots or software in America," said Michael Sobolik, Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute.
“The Bull Moose Project strongly supports the GUARD Act as a necessary step in securing America's industrial future against adversarial infiltration,” said Aiden Buzzetti, President of the Bull Moose Project. “Robotics are physical infrastructure deployed in our factories, logistics networks, and critical facilities, and allowing the Chinese Communist Party a foothold there would be a strategic error we cannot afford. The GUARD Act applies the same common-sense logic that drove action on Huawei, ZTE, and DJI to the next frontier of adversarial technology risk, and we urge its swift passage.”