DJI Drones Avoid Congress Ban, But Still Face Commerce Department Concerns

In what is now turning into a very long saga, it looks like DJI has cleared its first hurdle against what would effectively be a ban on its drones in the United States. However, as is the case with most things in the government, it also now sounds like DJI could face similar threats of a ban through different forces.

It’s a lot to try to sift through, and honestly, it’s a bit confusing at times, but here’s our best attempt to catch you up with the latest news surrounding a potential DJI drone ban. We’ll also share what DJI is doing to fight against any of these acts and what you—a current or perhaps DJI drone owner—should do in the meantime.

The Countering CCP Drones Act

The initial crux of this potential DJI drone ban came in the form of the Countering CCP Drones Act which was voted on by the House of Representatives back in September 2024. This act was set to make newly-made DJI drones banned. DJI filed a lawsuit against the United States Department of Defense in October 2024 to fight this as well.

However, it appears that in December 2024 Congress ultimately decided not to include the Countering CCP Drones Act in the FY25 National Defense Authorization Act that passed last month, which is good news for DJI and the future of DJI drones.

Here’s a statement from DJI from this time:

“We want to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to the drone community for your tireless and productive efforts to engage Senators and House Representatives. Sharing your personal stories and explaining how such actions would impact you and your business have been truly impactful. We reaffirm our commitment to you, our valued partners and customers, and will continue to engage with members of Congress and other relevant stakeholders to ensure you maintain access to our products.” — via DJI’s blog post.

Yet, the saga is apparently not done though.

A New DJI Drone Ban Challenge Emerges

According to PetaPixel, it looks like the United States Department of Commerce is now considering new rules which could potentially ban Chinese drones in the United States citing national security concerns.

A notice released by the Commerce Department states that these drones designed, developed, and manufactured in China and other “hostile” countries like Russia could pose risks to U.S. national security.

There’s also reporting by The New York Times and Reuters that state that this proposed ban could be part of a wider effort to fight against any efforts to gather information about critical infrastructure, yet might ultimately not be decided upon until the Trump administration takes charge in late January.

In their most recent blog post, DJI express its frustration with the ongoing discussions and offers its on call onto Congress to “designate a relevant technically-focused agency to ensure the assessment is evidence-based,” and “grant DJI a fair right of reply to any findings.”

We’ll keep you up-to-date as to how things ultimately shake out, but for the meantime it’s important to note that nothing has been banned as of yet and DJI is continuing to still market in the United States and appears to have several new products lined up to release this year.