Per an email from Vic Moss, the Countering CCP Drones Act language did not make it into the final version of the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) bill. For those who were not following this news, this bill would have prevented DJI from selling new drones in the US.
We have big news to share. You may already have seen online, but if not, the text of the 2025 NDAA was released by the House Rules Committee on Saturday. We are THRILLED to report that the Countering CCP Drones Act language did NOT make it into the final version of the bill! This would not have been possible without the incredible engagement of Drone Advocacy Alliance advocates like you throughout 2024. On behalf of the DAA Board of Directors, I want to say THANK YOU for your help along the way. Your efforts have been inspiring, to say the least. Together, drone users like you took part in hundreds of Congressional meetings, sent thousands of customized grassroots messages, made phone calls, sent tweets, authored op-eds and really ensured that members of Congress and their staff were aware of the drastic consequences a bill like Countering CCP would have on the U.S. drone ecosystem. We appreciate all that you do for our cause.
Now that the NDAA text is public, we expect the U.S. House and Senate to work quickly to pass this final, compromise version this week. From there, we expect the President to quickly sign the bill into law, ending a long struggle to pass the NDAA (without the Countering CCP Drones Act).
The final NDAA bill is not perfect, and does contain language that some of our opponents are claiming is the Countering CCP Drones Act. However, they’re mistaken, and the included language calls for an actual security assessment and not fear-mongering about “potential threats, or what may be possible.” We are confident that an actual scientific analysis will prove what advocates like you have been saying: the drones you use each day do not pose a risk. This isn’t the Countering CCP Drones Act… it’s not even close.
We will continue to work with DAA partners and advocates like you to monitor the situation and be sure to keep you all in the loop as this continues to unfold. Thank you for all your hard work and support this year and please take a moment to pat yourself on the back, because this would not have been possible without you.
Vic Moss/The DAA Board of Directors