US senators introduce American Security Robotics Act to ban Chinese robots
Lawmakers argue Chinese-assembled robots threaten individual privacy and national security
On Thursday, U.S. Senators Tom Cotton and Chuck Schumer introduced the "American Security Robotics Act," a bipartisan bill designed to prohibit federal agencies from purchasing or operating robots manufactured by "foreign adversaries," with a primary focus on China.
The legislation targets unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs), including increasingly popular humanoid models, citing concerns that these systems could be used for state-sponsored surveillance or be remotely hijacked to disrupt critical infrastructure.
Senator Cotton stated that robots assembled in China pose a "threat to individual privacy," while Majority Leader Schumer accused Chinese firms of attempting to "flood the U.S. market" with state-backed technology.
The bill is the latest in a series of aggressive moves to decouple U.S. infrastructure from foreign tech. Just days earlier, the FCC added foreign-produced consumer routers to its "Covered List" due to their involvement in major cyberattacks like "Volt Typhoon."
Additionally, all foreign-made uncrewed aircraft systems (drones) and their critical components were added to the list in January 2026.
This legislative push effectively establishes robotics as a primary arena for the ongoing U.S.-China trade war. If passed, the ban would severely limit the expansion of Chinese robotics giants such as Unitree and Agibot—which currently account for nearly 80% of global humanoid shipments—while potentially creating a protected market for American firms like Tesla.
The "American Security Robotics Act" does include specific provisions for national security research. It allows the U.S. military and law enforcement to acquire Chinese robotic systems for study, provided the hardware is kept in "controlled environments" where it cannot transmit or receive data from abroad.
Representative Elise Stefanik, who introduced the companion bill in the House, emphasised that the goal is to "safeguard our privacy" while ensuring America remains "Robot Ready" for the industrial challenges of the next decade.