119th Congress · introduced in the Senate · May 20, 2025
Drone Espionage Act
Official title from Congress.gov
Latest action (Feb 9, 2026): Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 316.
View on Congress.govPolicy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Congressional Research Service summary, version: Reported to Senate (Feb 9, 2026)
Drone Espionage Act
This bill makes it a federal crime under the Espionage Act to engage in certain activities related to obtaining, receiving, or transmitting video of national defense information. The term national defense information means information or other material that is related to national defense.
The Espionage Act prohibits certain activities related to obtaining, receiving, or transmitting national defense information that could harm the United States or aid a foreign nation. Under current law, the prohibitions only apply if national defense information is obtained, received, or transmitted by certain means, such as a sketch, photograph, photographic negative, blueprint, plan, map, model, instrument, appliance, document, writing, or note. Under current law, a violator is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term of up to 10 years, or both.
This bill makes the criminal prohibitions under the Espionage Act applicable if national defense information is obtained, received, or transmitted by means of video. Under this bill, a violator is subject to the same penalties as under existing law—a fine, a prison term of up to 10 years, or both.
Includes amendment, cloture, and procedural votes. Each is labeled with its exact question; only a passage question is a vote to pass the bill.
No recorded roll calls on this bill in coverage.
Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 316.
Committee on the Judiciary. Reported by Senator Grassley without amendment. Without written report.
Committee on the Judiciary. Reported by Senator Grassley without amendment. Without written report.
Committee on the Judiciary. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Border Management, Federal Workforce, and Regulatory Affairs. Hearings held.
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced in Senate
Actions from Congress.gov, newest first.
Digital media · Espionage and treason · Military facilities and property · Military operations and strategy
LD-2 reports whose issue descriptions explicitly cite this bill (bill type and number validated against Congress.gov records). A citation does not establish the client's position or any contact with a member.
Loading lobbying reportsCoverage: reports for 2025 onward, posted Jan 1, 2025 through Oct 24, 2026.
1 citation.
AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION · lobbying firm or registrant: AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION
2026 Q1 report (Jan 1, 2026 – Mar 31, 2026) · posted Apr 20, 2026 · issue area: Civil Rights/Civil Liberties
$720,000
Spent on own lobbying
…s Lobbied: Immigration Detention. S. 3893-SAFE Act-Issues Lobbied: Section 702. S. 4082-Government Surveillance Reform Act of 2026-Issues Lobbied: Section 702. S. 1809-Drone Espionage Act-Issues Lobbied: Espionage Act issues. S. 3752-SAVE America Act-Issues Lobbied: Voting Rights, Transgender Rights. S.J.Res. 103-A joint reso…
Congress inferred from the report year; bill number and the title cited with it match Congress.gov records, and the bill predates the report. The amount is lobbying spending for every issue on this report, not this bill alone, and none of it is paid to any member of Congress. View filing