SENATE BLASTED for Drone Delays!

America remains dangerously exposed to criminal drone activity while federal officials admit they’ve failed to expand defenses beyond a handful of agencies.

At a Glance

Only four U.S. federal agencies currently have legal authority to deploy counter-drone tech

Senate hearings revealed cartels and criminals are using drones for smuggling and surveillance

Eight temporary legal extensions have been required since 2018, delaying permanent reform

Lawmakers now consider granting drone defense powers to local police and private entities

Chamber of Commerce urges pilot programs to protect infrastructure from drone threats

Legal Paralysis Leaves Skies Wide Open

For years, Congress has punted on permanently authorizing counter-drone operations, even as threats multiply across the U.S. homeland. At a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing this week, lawmakers finally acknowledged that drone activity tied to criminal and cartel operations has outpaced federal defenses. Only four federal agencies are currently empowered to stop hostile or unauthorized drones—leaving stadiums, airports, and critical infrastructure exposed to airborne threats.

Cartels, in particular, are exploiting the regulatory void. Along the southern border, drones are routinely used to track law enforcement and deliver narcotics undetected. Within the U.S., drones are also dropping contraband into prison yards—a reality that local authorities say they are powerless to combat under current federal law.

Watch a report: Senate Hearing Reveals Drone Vulnerabilities

Law Enforcement Left Powerless

Lawmakers viewed videos of drone-aided criminal activity, from border drug drops to aerial smuggling of weapons into correctional facilities. Yet local police remain legally barred from using jammers or physical countermeasures to intercept these aircraft. Senator Chuck Grassley and others on the Judiciary Committee criticized the federal government for requiring eight stopgap legal extensions since 2018 without producing a comprehensive counter-drone framework.

This gap has become a boon for criminals and a burden for public safety officers. Without statutory authority to intervene, even well-trained officers must simply watch drones violate airspace and security protocols—creating a national blind spot in real-time.

Business Community Demands Action

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce delivered an unambiguous message to Congress: businesses and local jurisdictions can no longer wait for federal action. Their statement called for pilot programs to expand counter-drone capabilities to state, local, and even private actors who manage critical infrastructure. With drones capable of carrying explosives or toxic payloads, companies warn they cannot depend solely on federal authorities for protection against emerging threats.

As lawmakers weigh long-overdue reforms, pressure mounts to close the legal gap before the next major incident proves fatal. The U.S. can no longer afford to treat its airspace like a policy afterthought while adversaries treat it like a playground.