Senator Says She’d ‘Lay Down On The Border’ To Block Chinese Car Imports

Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin has introduced the Connected Vehicle National Security Review Act, which aims to establish a security review for connected vehicles and components manufactured by companies from China or other countries of concern. It would also pave the way for sales to be limited or banned if they pose a threat to national security.

Slotkin’s office was slim on specifics, but the bill appears to go even further than Trump’s tariffs and Biden’s effort to target Chinese cars and technology. According to the overview, it would “go beyond the limits presented by traditional trade-restriction tools, such as tariffs, which may not prevent countries of concern from establishing production in Mexico or other nations for export to the United States.”

Instead, it would close that loophole by specifically targeting “any connected vehicle or vehicle component built by a company under the ownership, control, or jurisdiction of a country of concern.”

More: US Finalizes Rule To Ban Chinese Cars And Tech

While Congress appears to be fine with certain automakers and insurance companies spying on unwitting Americans, they apparently draw the line at China. As Slotkin said, “Chinese vehicles could collect huge amounts of data on America and Americans, which poses a significant national security threat.”

She went on to note this information could include everything from videos to 3D maps to geolocation data of individual drivers.

Despite playing up the national security angle, Slotkin was pretty blunt as she said “I will lay down on the border to keep Chinese vehicles from entering the U.S. market.” However, that doesn’t appear to apply to the Buick Envision or Lincoln Nautilus.