New Jersey’s mystery drones have the Biden administration debating this surprising move

The public is searching for answers about the mysterious drone sightings over New Jersey.

Government officials are being forced to respond to public pressure. 

And New Jersey’s mystery drones have the Biden administration debating this surprising move. 

A ban or restrictions on Chinese drones is on the table

Residents of New Jersey and other states on the East Coast have spotted mysterious drones in the night sky for over a month. 

No one is sure where they come from or who’s operating them. 

The Biden administration claims they’re not a threat and are a mixture of planes, stars, and drones flown by hobbyists. 

But the concern over the drones has Biden’s Department of Commerce debating new restrictions on the purchase of Chinese-made drones. 

Chinese companies led by DJI control the overwhelming majority of the consumer drone market. 

An MIT study found that DJI has more than 90% of the market share for them. 

The Commerce Department is seeking public comment about increasing the security of the drone supply chain. 

Department of Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo claimed the move was “an essential step in protecting the United States from vulnerabilities posed by foreign entities.”

“Securing the unmanned aircraft systems technology supply chain is critical to safeguarding our national security,” Raimondo said. 

The Commerce Department pointed to “acute threats from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Russia” that “may offer our adversaries the ability to remotely access and manipulate these devices, exposing sensitive US data.”

Donald Trump’s administration would have the final say on any drone ban

A ban on Chinese drones would destroy the consumer market until a domestic alternative or competitor from a friendly foreign nation could be created. 

Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Paul Rosenzweig told the New York Post that drones are less of a risk than other Chinese technology like chips but are still a concern. 

“There is no doubt that DJI drones are a greater risk than, say, drones manufactured in Germany and a focus on reducing that vulnerability is welcome,” Rosenzweig said.

Public comments at the Commerce Department will run until March which means the final decision will fall upon the Trump administration. 

President-elect Donald Trump nominated Cantor Fitzgerald CEO Howard Lutnick to serve as his Secretary of Commerce. 

Congress passed a bill that would ban drones made by DJI or made by another Chinese company, Autel Robotics, a government review determined that they’re an “unacceptable risk” to national security. 

The Department of Defense was prohibited from buying drones made in China or ones that contained Chinese parts in 2019. 

RINO House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) claimed that the mysterious drones being sighted over the East Coast were likely part of a Chinese espionage operation. 

“My judgment based on my experience is that those that are over our military sites are adversarial and most likely are coming from the People’s Republic of China,” McCaul claimed. “I believe they’re spy drones and the PRC and Communist China is very good at this stuff. We know they bought land around military bases.”

Donald Trump will face a decision on whether or not to upend the consumer drone market by banning Chinese models.