The Senate Commerce Committee voted 17-11 May 14 to approve former Energy Department official Paul Dabbar to be deputy commerce secretary, sending his nomination to the full Senate for its consideration. Asked in written questions whether he would ensure the Bureau of Industry and Security has the resources necessary to do its job, Dabbar said he would ensure the Commerce Department, including BIS, “completes its mission.” He also said he would work to "tighten export controls on critical and emerging technologies."
President Donald Trump this week renewed a national emergency authorizing certain sanctions related to Iraq. The White House said "obstacles to the orderly reconstruction" of peace, security and economic institutions in Iraq continue to threaten U.S. national security. The sanctions were renewed for another year from May 22.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned six people and 12 entities in Iran and China for helping Iran source the manufacturing of critical materials needed for the country's ballistic missile program, including carbon fiber.
The U.K. should be wary of language in the recently announced trade framework with the U.S. (see 2505090006) that calls on Britain to comply with certain supply chain security requirements, which they said the U.S. could use to pressure the U.K. in its trading relationship with China, the U.K. Parliament heard from witnesses this week.
The U.S. government could improve its ability to wield its economic statecraft tools, including sanctions, export controls and investment screening, by making several organizational changes, such as creating an interagency coordinating body co-led by a new high-ranking official at the State Department, a researcher told the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on East Asia and the Pacific May 14.
The Trump administration has a chance to create a “simpler, stronger” version of the soon-to-be-repealed AI diffusion rule (see 2505130018), including one that maintains strict export controls on adversaries while imposing few or no controls on close allies, researchers said this month.
Patrick Childress, former assistant general counsel in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, has joined Holland & Knight as a partner in the international trade practice, the firm announced. Childress joined the USTR general counsel office in 2020, where he advised Congress, administration officials and federal agencies on various trade matters, including "digital trade, climate, trade in automotives, foreign investment and regional matters involving Canada and Mexico," the firm said.
The State Department approved two possible military sales to the United Arab Emirates, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said May 12.
Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, chairman emeritus of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and a leading congressional advocate of the Australia-U.K.-U.S. (AUKUS) security partnership, announced May 13 that he has been named co-chair of the Congressional Friends of Australia Caucus.
House Select Committee on China ranking member Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., said May 13 that he’s concerned the potential transfer of advanced U.S. computing chips to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates could allow the sensitive technology to fall into China’s hands.