Proposed Legislation Seeks Ban On US Government Purchases Of Chinese-Made Drones - Senator

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th September, 2019) The US government and many state and local police departments would be banned from purchasing drones from Chinese companies under a newly proposed legislation, Senator Rick Scot, who sponsored the legislation, said on Monday.

"Federal agencies spend millions of Dollars a year on Chinese-made drones and local law enforcement agencies use federal grants to do the same," Scott said via Twitter.

The legislation to prohibit purchases from Chinese companies reflects a larger effort to curtail US ties with China, Scott said.

A separate piece of legislation - also proposed by Scott - would end government-funded programs to teach English in China, the lawmaker said in a separate Twitter post.

"We've valued quick and cheap over secure and reliable, and now we are going to have to spend the next ten to 20 years decoupling our reliance on their technology," Scott said.

The US Defense Department has prohibited military services from purchasing Chinese-manufactured drones due to cybersecurity concerns, according to documents quoted by US media.

However, exemptions allowed the US Navy to spend nearly $190,000 and the Air Force $50,000 on Chinese drones in 2018, according to the documents.