The two US senators behind a bill to write a ban on Chinese vehicles into law have put off a fast-track Senate vote until next week, seeking to win over Republican Senator Rand Paul, who they say is the only senator opposed.
Republican Senator Bernie Moreno of Ohio and Democratic Senator Elissa Slotkin of Michigan had planned to seek approval of the Connected Vehicle Security Act by unanimous consent on Thursday.
That was the same day President Donald Trump hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington.
Under unanimous consent, a single senator’s objection blocks passage.
The bill has not passed the Senate, and the sponsors can try unanimous consent again, seek a recorded vote or attach it to other legislation.
“My understanding is it’s 99 to 1,” Slotkin said, adding that all Democrats supported moving ahead.
Paul is the only senator publicly holding up the bill, though Cruz has said the current text should not become law.
The sponsors will instead hold talks with Paul, congressional aides told Reuters.
Paul told reporters he would keep discussing his concerns over the weekend and next week, according to Semafor.
Asked whether he would block the bill, he said: “We shall see.”
He used the same procedure in December 2023 to block the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act, calling a mandate “antithetical to any notion of limited government.”
Moreno said he hoped the Senate would approve the bill next week and the House would pass it in November, when it returns to session.
“This is a bill that has almost 100 out of 100 senators on board,” he said, according to Roll Call.
From Rule to Law
A Commerce Department rule finalized in January 2025 already bars connected vehicles from manufacturers owned or controlled from China, even if they are built in the United States.
Its software restrictions apply from the 2027 model year and its hardware restrictions from 2030.
The United States also imposes tariffs of more than 100% on Chinese electric vehicles.
The bill, S. 4429, would turn the ban into law and stop the White House from issuing waivers to Chinese manufacturers, Reuters said.
It does not abolish exceptions outright but makes them much harder to grant.
The bill covers companies tied to China, Russia, Iran and North Korea, and bars manufacturers in which those countries hold more than 15% of equity, voting rights, board seats or other control.
It extends to connectivity hardware and software, battery management systems and safety equipment such as airbags and seatbelts, according to the text of the House companion.
Under that text, the ban on covered vehicles and software takes effect on January 1, 2027, and on hardware on January 1, 2030. Suppliers of software and hardware face a 25% ownership threshold.
The Commerce Secretary could authorize exceptions only on “clear and convincing evidence,” with a risk assessment sent to Congress 60 days in advance and subject to a congressional veto.
The Senate Commerce Committee approved the bill by voice vote in July.
Its House companion, H.R. 8730, led by House China committee chairman John Moolenaar and Michigan Democrat Debbie Dingell, has more than 100 co-sponsors.
Reuters put Senate support at 51 senators, while the House China committee said on Wednesday the Senate bill had 46 co-sponsors.
Mercedes Caught by Threshold
The 15% ownership test could also reach Mercedes-Benz. State-owned BAIC holds 9.98% of the German carmaker, and Geely founder Li Shufu holds 9.69%, a combined 19.7%.
Mercedes has said no single shareholder holds more than 10%.
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz said the bill would bar Mercedes-Benz from selling cars in the United States as written, and that it “will not become law” unless the threshold changes.
Cruz said General Motors had pushed for the provision to force a rival out of the US market.
Mercedes pushed to raise the threshold to 25%, Bloomberg reported in July.
Moreno said Mercedes would have until 2030 to comply and could still get waivers**, repeating a position he first set out in July**.
Slotkin said talks on how Mercedes could comply were continuing.
Other carmakers with Chinese owners are already affected by the Commerce rule.
Volvo Cars, majority owned by Geely, won a specific authorization from the Commerce Department in May to keep selling connected vehicles in the United States.
Polestar was denied one and will stop US sales from the 2027 model year.
Summit Timing
Moreno said China makes nearly four times as many cars as the United States, and that Congress must make sure hundreds of thousands of US auto jobs are not at risk of “total domination” by Chinese carmakers.
China produced 34.53 million vehicles in 2025, according to government figures.
“I think if President Trump allows in these Chinese companies, it is beginning of the end of the auto industry in the United States,” Slotkin said.
Trump told Fox News on September 11 that he would accept Chinese carmakers building plants in the United States if they hired American workers.
Slotkin urged Trump on Tuesday not to invite Chinese automakers to build in the country.
Six industry groups whose members include General Motors, Toyota, Volkswagen, Ford, Hyundai, Stellantis and Teslawrote to Trump last week urging him to keep “the door firmly shut” to Chinese automakers.
Earlier this month, the Alliance for Automotive Innovation asked Congress to make the ban permanent before year-end.
China has strongly opposed the US vehicle ban and efforts to make it permanent, Reuters said.
Beijing had considered sending BYD founder Wang Chuanfu with Xi, but Xi traveled without a business delegation.
Slotkin has also introduced a separate bill, S. 4710, that would bar connected vehicles linked to China and other adversaries from entering the United States, including from Canada and Mexico.
