GUARD Act of 2026
- Bill Number
- H.R. 9129
- Origin Chamber
- House
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 2
- Policy Area
- Science, Technology, Communications
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2026-06-03: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
- Last Updated
- 2026-07-10T08:06:37Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose This legislation aims to mitigate national security risks posed by humanoid or quadruped robotics communications equipment or services from adversarial foreign entities by incorporating them into the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) existing covered list process.
Key Provisions
- Evaluation Requirement: Within one year of enactment, an appropriate national security agency must assess whether covered robotics communications equipment or services pose an unacceptable risk to U.S. national security or the safety of U.S. persons.
- Automatic Placement: If no determination is made within the one-year period, the FCC must add all such equipment or services to the covered list.
- Determination Outcomes:
- If a risk is found, the FCC places the item on the covered list within 30 days and submits a report to Congress (unclassified with possible classified annex).
- If no risk is found, the determining agency reports to Congress and other agencies; other agencies then have 180 days to review and report.
- Definitions: Clarifies terms including "covered robotics communications equipment or service" (humanoid or quadruped robots or controlling software from covered foreign entities), "country of concern," "covered foreign entity," and references the existing "covered list" from the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019.
- Rule of Construction: The Act does not apply to non-concern countries, such as NATO allies or Major Non-NATO Allies.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- Extends the FCC's covered list framework (originally for telecommunications equipment) to include specific robotics hardware and software.
- Introduces a mandatory one-year evaluation timeline and automatic listing mechanism for robotics items, along with structured inter-agency review and congressional reporting requirements not present in the base 2019 Act.
Potential Impacts
- Government Agencies: Increases workload for national security agencies (e.g., intelligence and defense entities) through mandatory evaluations and reports; expands FCC authority over robotics communications equipment.
- Citizens and Businesses: May restrict U.S. access to or use of robotics from covered foreign entities, affecting industries reliant on imported robotics technology.
- International Relations: Targets entities from countries of concern, potentially straining trade and technology ties with those nations while exempting allies.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- Federal agencies (FCC, national security bodies, Congress).
- U.S. companies and consumers using or developing humanoid/quadruped robotics.
- Foreign entities headquartered in or controlled by countries of concern.
- Robotics manufacturers and suppliers in allied nations (largely unaffected due to the rule of construction).
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Builds on existing national security authorities without creating new constitutional conflicts, as it operates within the FCC's regulatory powers over communications equipment.
- Emphasizes inter-agency coordination and congressional oversight, potentially raising political debates over technology restrictions and supply chain security.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Rep. Moolenaar, John R. [R-MI-2]
Cosponsors (5)
Rep. Obernolte, Jay [R-CA-23], Rep. McClellan, Jennifer L. [D-VA-4], Rep. Latta, Robert E. [R-OH-5], Rep. Bilirakis, Gus M. [R-FL-12], Rep. Salinas, Andrea [D-OR-6]
Recent Actions
- 2026-06-03: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
- 2026-06-03: Introduced in House
- 2026-06-03: Introduced in House
Bill Versions
- Guarding the U.S. against Adversarial Robotics Dominance Act of 2026 — issued 2026-06-03 — PDF (7 pages)