US Senators Seek Curbs on Adversary-Linked AI Technology

Washington has increasingly used export controls and supply-chain reviews to keep advanced AI and communications technologies from strengthening foreign adversaries. A 2019 executive order gave the U.S. Department of Commerce authority to address national-security risks involving information and communications technology and services, or ICTS. Commerce later created a dedicated office within the Bureau of Industry and Security. Putting that framework into statute would make enforcement more durable across administrations while preserving access to informational materials and open-source software.

Republican Senators Tim Scott and Bill Hagerty introduced the ICTS Supply Chain Security Act of 2026, S. 4882, on June 24, sending it to the Senate Banking Committee. The measure would let Commerce prohibit or mitigate high-risk ICTS transactions tied to China, including Hong Kong and Macau, Russia, Iran, North Korea and Cuba. Willful violations could bring fines of up to $1 million and 20 years in prison; civil penalties would reach the greater of $1.5 million or five times the transaction value.