New video campaign calls on Congress to pass Connected Vehicle Security Act
For Immediate Release: May 4, 2026
Washington, D.C. — Chinese autos will obliterate America’s manufacturing supply chain if allowed to enter the United States market, a hard-hitting new video from the Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM) illustrates, as the organization calls on Congress to pass the Connected Vehicle Security Act.
AAM’s video campaign arrives as President Trump is scheduled to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping on May 14.
“America’s auto industry is at a crossroads, and the decisions Congress makes right now will shape whether it continues to support millions of jobs or is undercut by China’s auto overcapacity and unfair trade,” Alliance for American Manufacturing President Scott Paul said. “Beijing engineered its auto dominance on a foundation of state cash and strategic overcapacity. Now, it’s taking aim at the U.S. market. We’re asking every American who cares about their job, their privacy, their community, and their nation to make their voice heard in Washington before it’s too late.”
The Connected Vehicle Security Act, introduced on April 29 by Sens. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) and Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), would codify and strengthen an existing Commerce Department rule that bans connected vehicles, software and hardware linked to China and other adversaries, starting in 2027.
“Modern vehicles are rolling computers. When their software or hardware is subject to Beijing’s control or influence, they pose unacceptable risks, from data collection to potential remote interference,” Paul said. “The introduction of bipartisan legislation by Senators Moreno and Slotkin to permanently block connected vehicles linked to foreign adversaries, like China, is a critical step to protect America’s national security and industrial base. The bill covers all classes of vehicles and will be a durable tool for keeping Chinese vehicles out of the U.S. market.”
A ban on Chinese connected vehicle software and hardware that was finalized by the Biden administration in January 2025, along with a 100% tariff, has largely defended U.S. auto workers from a China Shock 2.0. However, Beijing’s ever-increasing ambitions to dominate the global auto market are testing these restrictions, especially as Chinese automakers establish manufacturing with some of America’s most important and preferred trading partners: Mexico and Canada.
AAM and a coalition of steel labor groups and industry leaders, including the United Steelworkers and the American Iron and Steel Institute, called on the Trump administration on April 29 to keep Chinese automakers out of the U.S and pursue policies that strengthen American manufacturing.
BACKGROUND:
AAM has long defended American workers from China’s mission to seize control of the global auto market. In February 2024, the advocacy organization identified Chinese vehicle imports as an “existential threat to America’s auto industry” in a report that urged for exclusionary tariffs on all Chinese vehicles. Nine days later, the Commerce Department initiated its investigation into national security risks posed by connected vehicles. In 2025, Commerce finalized its prohibition on the import of Chinese and Russian connected vehicle software and hardware.
AAM’s advocacy helped pass the bipartisan Transit Infrastructure Vehicle Security Act in 2019, which prohibits federal taxpayer funds from being used to purchase railcars, electric buses, and other forms of “rolling stock” from China’s state-owned and -supported vehicle manufacturers.
In 2020, Chinese company BYD struck back with a meritless libel lawsuit against AAM that was rejected by the U.S. District Court three times. BYD’s appeal was then dismissed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia and the Supreme Court, concluding a two-year legal battle.
U.S. auto manufacturing supports nearly 11 million American jobs and infuses our economy with $830 billion in paychecks, according to the Alliance for Automotive Innovation.
Paul is available for interviews.
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