Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, urged the Trump administration March 25 to designate two additional Venezuelan entities as foreign terrorist organizations.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said March 27 that he plans to force Senate floor votes the week of March 31 to April 4 on two resolutions aimed at preventing the sale of $8.8 billion in bombs and other munitions to Israel. Sanders cited concerns about the Gaza war, including civilian casualties and Israel's blockade of the strip. The Senate rejected similar Sanders legislation in November (see 2411210022).
Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., reintroduced a bill March 25 that would require CBP to create a four-year pilot program to use data analytics to identify vessels evading sanctions and export controls.
The U.K. extended a general sanctions license that permits sanctioned entity Russian Railways to pay Lithuanian Railways for the transit of "persons between the Kaliningrad Region and other parts of Russia via the passenger rail service operated by" Lithuanian Railways. The license's original expiration date of April 13, 2025, has been extended until 11:59 p.m. on April 13, 2027. It also lets Lithuanian Railways receive payments from Russian Railways for this type of travel and permits people or entities to "carry out any activity reasonably necessary to effect" payments to Lithuanian Railways.
The Council of the European Union on March 27 sanctioned another 25 people and seven entities under its Belarus sanctions regime for undermining democracy in Belarus and aiding Russia in its war against Ukraine.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control last week updated a range of entries on its Specially Designated Nationals List to include the fact that they're a "secondary sanctions risk." The change impacts sanctioned people and entities with ties to China, Russia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates and other regions. OFAC didn't immediately release more information.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control last week sanctioned five people and three companies with ties to a Lebanon-based sanctions evasion network supporting the terror group Hezbollah.
The Bureau of Industry and Security is ending its work in the U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council as part of a broader effort to pull back from traditional export control dialogues with allies, Jeffrey Kessler, the head of BIS, said in a closed-door meeting with agency officials last week. Kessler also said the agency plans to significantly increase export enforcement against China, warned about possible staffing cuts, urged officials to tamp down on conversations with industry, and said it’s unclear whether existing export controls against Russia will be maintained.
A Federal Maritime Commission administrative law judge ordered Taiwan-based ocean carrier Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp. March 24 to pay $517.50 of the approximately $1.3 million that shipper Supply Source sought for what it said were unfair demurrage and detention fees charged in 2021 and 2022.
The U.S. has halted contributions to the World Trade Organization, Reuters reported. The global trade body has a $232.06 million annual budget, 11% of which is set to come from the U.S. based on a fee system that requires payment proportionate to a member country's share of global trade, the report said. A U.S. delegate reportedly told the WTO that payments for 2024 and 2025 are on hold pending a review of contributions to international organizations.