Why is the Biden Administration allowing exports of drone parts to China that are then used in drones for surveillance on the U.S. and its allies? That’s what these lawmakers want to know…
This week, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Congressman Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA), and Chairman of the Select Committee on China Mike Gallagher (R-WI) sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd J.demanding answers.
Why is the DoD allowing the export of critical components to Communist Chinese drone manufacturer DJI?
“In addition to aiding the CCP in the brutal oppression of the Uyghur population in Xinjiang, DJI
drones have been exported to America’s adversaries for military purposes, in violation of U.S. export laws and sanctions. Mou recently, open-source reporting has shown that on October T 2023, Hamas used DJI drones to disable Israeli surveillance systems and drop munitions on
Israeli forces on the Gaza border,” the lawmakers wrote to Austin.
Stefanik is a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee.
“I will hold the Biden Administration accountable for their failure to stop U.S. technology from being exported to DJI, a Communist Chinese drone company,” said Congresswoman Elise Stefanik. “DJI supplies our adversaries around the world including Iranian-backed Hamas and Russia with drones to carry out vicious attacks against our allies. These export licenses should not have been approved and American technology should not be advancing DJI drones. It is time to end Communist China’s weaponization of American ingenuity.”
Chairman of the Select Committee on China Mike Gallagher also issued a statement following the Austin letter.
“From facilitating terrorist attacks in the Middle East to intelligence threats to the American homeland, drones made by the Chinese-owned company DJI pose an unacceptable risk to our national security,” said Gallagher. “Despite these clear threats, which landed DJI drones on multiple government blacklists, DJI has leveraged bureaucratic get-out-of-jail-free cards to rip off American technology while undermining our national security. This needs to stop.”
And he’s right. But can the Biden Administration muster the courage to do what needs to be done?
