GUARD Act of 2026
Latest action. Forwarded by subcommitteeA smaller panel inside a standing committee with jurisdiction over a slice of its subject matter. Most hearings and the first markup usually happen here.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) to Full Committee by voice voteA vote decided by which side sounds louder. No individual positions are recorded, so no member can be held to a position afterward.Read the full definition (opens a new tab).
Guarding the U.S. against Adversarial Robotics Dominance Act of 2026 or the GUARD Act of 2026
This bill requires robotics communications equipment and services associated with certain countries of concern to be reviewed for potential risk to U.S. national security. Equipment or services found to pose an unacceptable risk must be added to the Federal Communications Commission’s Covered List. Under current law, equipment and services on this list are subject to various restrictions, including a general prohibition on the import or sale of listed equipment in the United States.
Under the bill, covered robotics communications equipment or services means any humanoid or quadruped robot, or related software, that is (1) communications software or equipment, and (2) produced or provided by an entity located in or subject to the influence or control of China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, or Syria (or an affiliate of such an entity).
Specifically, within one year of enactment, one of several specified national security agencies must review all covered robotics communications equipment or services and determine if they pose an unacceptable risk to U.S. national security or the safety of U.S. persons. Equipment or services determined to pose an unacceptable risk must be added to the Covered List within 30 days. Any determination that equipment or services do not pose an unacceptable risk must be reviewed by other national security agencies.
If an agency does not make a required determination within one year, all covered equipment and services must be added to the list.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on June 3, 2026. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on September 1, 2026: Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee by Voice Vote.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 118th Congress (2023-24), 274 of the 16,565 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 1.7 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
John Moolenaar (R-MI) introduced it on June 3, 2026, and 7 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 3 Democrats, 4 Republicans.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on June 3, 2026, 146 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 56 days ago, on September 1, 2026.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 119th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2027 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers