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Department of Energy Drone Defense Act

H.R. 8935 · 119th Congress · May 20, 2026 · Lineage

A BILL

To exempt the Secretary of Energy of certain prohibitions with respect to an unmanned aircraft system, and for other purposes.

Section 1 Short title

This Act may be cited as the “Department of Energy Drone Defense Act”.

Sec. 2 Authority of Secretary of Energy with respect to covered unmanned aircraft systems from covered foreign entities

(a)
Exemption from prohibition on procurement of covered unmanned aircraft systems from covered foreign entities— Section 1823(b) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (Public Law 118–31; 137 Stat. 692) is amended, in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by inserting “Secretary of Energy,” after “Secretary of State,”.
(b)
Exemption from prohibition on operation of covered unmanned aircraft systems from covered foreign entities— Section 1824(b) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (Public Law 118–31; 137 Stat. 693) is amended, in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by inserting “Secretary of Energy,” after “Secretary of State,”.
(c)
Exemption from prohibition on use of Federal funds for procurement and operation of covered unmanned aircraft systems from covered foreign entities— Section 1825(b) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (Public Law 118–31; 137 Stat. 694) is amended, in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by inserting “Secretary of Energy,” after “Secretary of State,”.
(d)
Granting Secretary of Energy accounting exception— Section 1827(c) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (Public Law 118–31; 137 Stat. 696) is amended by inserting “Department of Energy,” after “Department of Transportation,”.