Senators Bernie Moreno and Elissa Slotkin postponed until next week their bid to fast-track Senate approval of a permanent ban on Chinese vehicles, as they seek Republican Rand Paul's support; the procedure requires unanimous backing.
The bill has 51 Senate supporters, and its House counterpart has more than 100 co-sponsors. It would codify the ban and prevent the White House from issuing waivers to Chinese manufacturers. Semafor reported Paul would continue discussing his concerns over the weekend and next week; Moreno said he hoped for Senate approval next week and House passage when it returns in November. Trump earlier this month said he would accept Chinese carmakers building vehicles in the US, while auto-industry groups urged him to keep restrictions in place.
A Biden-administration rule imposed in early 2025 already effectively bars Chinese automakers from selling or building passenger vehicles in the US, citing the risk they could send sensitive driver data to China; tariffs on Chinese EVs exceed 100%. Senator Ted Cruz said the bill would bar US vehicle sales by companies more than 15% owned by Chinese entities, a threshold that could affect Mercedes-Benz, whose Chinese investors hold nearly 20%. Moreno said Mercedes would have until 2030 to comply and could still get waivers if needed; Slotkin said compliance discussions were ongoing.
