DJI Ban in the US Will Outlast the Midterms: Democrats Cannot Lift It Before 2029

Democrats won majorities in both the House and the Senate in the US elections on November 3, yet that does not bring Chinese drone maker DJI back to the American market, according to industry site DroneXL. DJI sits on the Covered List of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC, the US telecom regulator), a roster of equipment deemed a national security risk, and it cannot be removed quickly without President Donald Trump's agreement.

The law behind the listing

DJI was added under Section 1709 of the FY2025 defense bill, which President Joe Biden signed on December 23, 2024. It called for a one-year security audit of DJI and Autel, with listing as the default if no agency carried it out. No audit was done, and the FCC listed DJI on December 22, 2025. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr received his current term from Biden, and it runs to June 2028.

Why Congress cannot fix it soon

Removing DJI by statute requires a bill passed by both chambers and signed by the president, or a two-thirds override of a veto. That would take 67 senators and 290 representatives, while Democrats are projected to hold 54 and 258. The new Congress is seated on January 3, 2027, and until then the Republican majorities finish the FY2027 defense bill. The first defense bill a Democratic Congress writes is for FY2028, so the earliest a relevant provision could reach a president is December 2027.

The FCC and the courts

The FCC has three sitting members, two of them Republicans. The Senate can block new nominees but cannot remove those already serving. DJI's petition for reconsideration remains undecided, and the Pentagon opposed it with a classified annex. DJI's case before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals continues.

DJI drones that reached the US market before December 22, 2025 remain legal to buy and fly.