S. 2502 would prohibit most federal agencies from procuring or operating unmanned aircraft systems manufactured or assembled by a covered foreign entity, which includes, for example, an entity that poses a national security risk. The Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense, and the Attorney General would be exempt from the bill’s prohibitions for such systems that are acquired or operated under certain conditions. The new prohibitions would sunset five years after enactment.
The bill would require the Office of Management and Budget to establish a policy for procuring unmanned aircraft systems for operations outside of the defense and intelligence communities and would require any department or agency not otherwise subject to the Federal Acquisition Regulation to follow the new policy. The bill also would require executive agencies to account for their inventories of covered unmanned aircraft systems and would require various studies and reports.
Using information from the affected agencies, CBO estimates that implementing S. 2502 would cost $1 million over the 2021-2025 period for additional administrative activities and new reporting requirements. Such spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds.
Enacting S. 2502 could affect direct spending by some agencies that are allowed to use fees, receipts from the sale of goods, and other collections to cover operating costs. CBO estimates that any net changes in direct spending by those agencies would be negligible because most of them can adjust amounts collected to reflect changes in operating costs.
