Trump signs order banning some foreign equipment from U.S. energy grid
The order bars purchases of certain foreign-made grid parts as officials warn of sabotage risks and hidden digital backdoors, citing rising demand from AI projects.
- On Wednesday, August 26, 2026, President Donald Trump declared a national emergency and signed an executive order banning foreign-made equipment from the United States electric grid, citing an "unusual and extraordinary" security threat.
- Rapid growth in artificial intelligence and defense production has increased the country's reliance on foreign electrical components, creating an "undue risk of catastrophic effects" on critical infrastructure, the administration said.
- The order prohibits companies from purchasing or installing foreign-produced parts that could contain digital "backdoors"—secret access points allowing hostile governments to remotely control or disable the bulk-power system.
- Federal officials are directed to identify potentially dangerous equipment and make recommendations, targeting transactions with countries under United States arms embargoes or those working against American interests.
- Washington has previously restricted Chinese telecom suppliers Huawei and ZTE from networks, while the European Commission banned Chinese-made inverters from publicly funded energy projects earlier this year.
12 Articles
12 Articles
U.S. President Donald Trump declared Thursday the national emergency, by means of an executive order, which allows the prohibition of the acquisition or installation of electrical equipment manufactured abroad when they violate national security.
Trump declares national emergency over 'extraordinary' threat in America's power grid
President Donald Trump declared a national emergency Wednesday over foreign-made equipment that the White House warned could leave the nation’s power system vulnerable to sabotage and catastrophic disruption. Trump signed an executive order aimed at protecting “the security, integrity, and reliability” of electric equipment used in the country’s bulk-power system, according to the White House. The order blames an “unusual and extraordinary forei…
Trump signs executive order banning foreign equipment from US grid - The Tribune
In Executive Order 14420, signed on Wednesday (local time), Trump said his "highest duty is protecting the national security, foreign policy, and economy of this country" and determined that foreign supplies of bulk-power system electric equipment posed an "unusual and extraordinary threat."
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