New Jersey
Will the China FIREWALL Act of 2026 Protect New Jersey Government Networks?
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Key points
- Bipartisan lawmakers introduced the China FIREWALL Act of 2026 to ban Chinese artificial intelligence models from federal systems.
- The legislation blocks federal agencies from purchasing software that relies on Chinese-developed open-weight AI.
- The bill has been referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform for review.
NewsWK — Bipartisan lawmakers are moving to secure federal technology from foreign adversaries. Representative Josh Gottheimer, a Democrat representing New Jersey’s 5th Congressional District, announced the China FIREWALL Act of 2026 on September 18, 2026, at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, New Jersey. The legislation safeguards critical public infrastructure by blocking foreign software from sensitive government systems.
What does the China FIREWALL Act New Jersey announcement mean for security?
Introduced in the 119th Congress as H.R. 10670, the bill protects federal networks by removing high-risk software from public systems. Officially titled “A bill to prohibit Chinese AI models from being used on government-issued devices or software systems, to prohibit the procurement of any such models, and for other purposes,” the measure requires federal agencies to block Chinese-developed artificial intelligence from official devices to secure digital perimeters.
How does the HR 10670 Chinese AI ban change federal procurement?
The legislation establishes restrictions on Chinese AI models across federal departments. Specifically, the bill prohibits:
- Federal agencies from running or using Chinese-developed AI models, including Chinese-developed open-weight AI models, on government-issued devices and software systems.
- Federal agencies from procuring software that incorporates or relies on Chinese AI models.
Consequently, administrators must review procurement procedures to prevent foreign-sourced code from entering government systems.
Who is sponsoring the Josh Gottheimer China FIREWALL Act?
Representative Gottheimer introduced the bipartisan bill with Representative Nick LaLota, a Republican representing New York’s 1st Congressional District. The House of Representatives formally received the bill on October 1, 2026. House leaders referred H.R. 10670 to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, where it currently remains pending review.
This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by our editorial team.
Sources
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