Trump Administration Orders Federal Agencies to Remove China's DeepSeek AI from Government Systems

20 Oct 2026, 16:47 by Lucas Nolan · Breitbart

The Trump administration has formally banned the Chinese AI startup DeepSeek from civilian U.S. government IT systems over security concerns, the Department of Homeland Security disclosed Monday.

CNBC reports that the order, issued July 24 but made public only this week, tells federal civilian agencies to remove any DeepSeek-related technology from their systems, including third-party products or services built on DeepSeek’s AI models. Agencies are also barred from buying DeepSeek products going forward. The directive reaches departments including Treasury, State and Justice, but not the Department of Defense.

DHS said DeepSeek’s models and associated technology “present multiple threat vectors.” The department’s main worry is that sensitive U.S. government data could end up in China, giving Chinese intelligence services a window into American citizens and government programs. DHS also pointed to open-source research that found several critical vulnerabilities in DeepSeek’s iOS app.

Agencies that need more time, or want an exception altogether, can submit a written justification to DHS within 60 days of the order, including requests for compliance delays.

Breitbart News social media director Wynton Hall, author of the New York Times bestseller Code Red: The Left, the Right, China, and the Race to Control AI, explained the danger of DeepSeek in an interview published in March in which he advocated for federal employees to be blocked from using the Chinese AI platform months before the eventual ban took effect:

Hall suggests that federal and state-level employees be banned from DeepSeek due to its intelligence gathering capabilities. ‘As for TikTok, the jury is still out on whether the new U.S. deal’s implementation will end the myriad security risks that ignited the TikTok ban in the first place. ‘The safest way to stop CCP Trojan horses is to not let them enter the gates to begin with,’ Hall told the Daily Mail.

China’s foreign ministry pushed back on the new ban. Responding to a Reuters inquiry, spokesperson Mao Ning said China “consistently opposes the over-generalization of national security as well as the politicization of science, technology and trade issues,” adding that Beijing would safeguard the rights and interests of its companies.