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Murphy Says No To Chinese-Made Drones

Dave Kolpack
/
AP
A Predator drone owned by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection sits on the tarmac awaiting takeoff from the agency's Grand Forks Air Force Base operations in North Dakota.

Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy, a member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, is making it a priority for the federal government to purchase American-made drones.   

The federal government continued to purchase drones manufactured in China, despite reports from the U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement claiming Chinese-made drones spied on the United States and provided the Chinese government with critical infrastructure and law enforcement data.

Senator Murphy authored provisions in the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act of 2019, which passed committee last week, to direct the U.S. government to purchase drones made in America. He says he intends to launch an investigation into whether any of these Chinese drones are still in use.

In May, Murphy urged Defense Secretary James Mattis to consider banning the use of foreign-made drones until further threat assessments have been completed.