Protecting American Competition Act of 2026

Key Points

• This bill changes how the government handles licenses for selling sensitive technology to other countries. It focuses on making sure one company does not get an unfair advantage just because they were the first to ask for permission to sell to a specific buyer.
• If the government gives one company a license to sell a product to a specific person or group overseas, it must try to quickly process similar requests from other American companies. This helps keep the market competitive instead of letting one business have a monopoly.
• The Department of Commerce would have to send a report to Congress every year. This report must explain why certain licenses were granted and if other companies were waiting for permission to sell the same types of items to the same people.
• The goal is to make the export process more transparent. It ensures that government officials are not accidentally picking winners and losers in the global tech market by delaying some applications while approving others.
• National security still comes first. The bill specifically says that the government does not have to approve any sale that would hurt U.S. safety or foreign policy interests, even if it would help competition.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.