The recent departure of many career employees at the Bureau of Industry and Security and other government agencies hasn’t necessarily translated into less export control and sanctions enforcement activity, lawyers said last week.

Gregory Dunlap, a former special agent in charge of the Bureau of Industry and Security's Office of Export Enforcement, has joined Akin as a senior regulatory adviser. Dunlap most recently oversaw export controls and sanctions investigations at BIS and also worked at DOJ for more than eight years, including in the National Security Division.

Sen. Ted Cruz and Rep. Wesley Hunt, both R-Texas, reintroduced a bill last week aimed at ensuring that courts can't vacate previously authorized permits for liquefied natural gas export projects. The Protect LNG Act was referred to Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and the House Judiciary and Energy and Commerce committees. A Senate aide indicated in March that the legislation would be reintroduced (see 2503250003).

Senate Banking Committee ranking member Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., a member of the committee, told Nvidia May 28 that they’re concerned the U.S. AI chipmaker’s planned research facility in Shanghai “risks violating the spirit, if not the written word, of U.S. export control regulations.”

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, introduced a bill May 22 aimed at improving the sharing of advanced defense technology with Australia, Canada and the U.K.

Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., who chairs a House task force that is looking at ways to improve how the government handles arms sales (see 2501220086), introduced a bill May 23 that would raise the congressional notification thresholds for arms sales to adjust for inflation and geopolitical changes.

The United Steelworkers said May 28 that it remains uncertain what the recently announced “planned partnership” between Japan-based Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel will entail.

The EU this week officially lifted sanctions against Syria (see 2505210030) except for certain restrictions related to the Bashar Assad regime and "those related to security," the European Commission said. "The EU stands ready to support the Syrian people in the rebuilding of their country, based on a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned process that provides for its people," the commission said. "The EU will continue monitoring developments on the ground, including inclusiveness, progress on reforms and accountability with regard to recent violence outbreaks, as well as the effects of the lifting of economic sanctions."

The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned Philippines-based Funnull Technology Inc. and its administrator, Liu Lizhi, for providing computer infrastructure for hundreds of thousands of websites involved in virtual currency investment scams. OFAC said Americans lose billions of dollars annually in these scams, which are known as "pig butchering."

President Donald Trump this week said he hasn't yet decided to impose new sanctions against Russia because he believes it could still hurt the possibility of a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.