Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with the top stories from last week, in case you missed them. You can find any article by searching for the title or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
The Trump administration has no plans to ease existing sanctions on Russia while it seeks a deal to end the Russia-Ukraine war, a State Department nominee told a Senate panel June 10.
The Bureau of Industry and Security is planning to soon loosen some export controls on Syria, a move that would align with the Treasury Department’s lifting of certain financial sanctions against the country last month (see 2505230073).
The Bureau of Industry and Security is drafting a new regulation that could create a 50%-ownership threshold rule for parties on the Entity List, a BIS official said this week.
Five House and Senate Democrats introduced a bill June 6 that would require the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network and the Small Business Administration to work together to help small businesses comply with the beneficial ownership information (BOI) reporting requirements under the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA).
Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Ill., announced June 5 that she has introduced a bill that would bar shipments of offensive weapons to Israel until Israel commits in writing to using the arms in accordance with U.S. and international law. Congress would have to pass a joint resolution approving those specific uses. Ramirez said the Block the Bombs Act is needed to reduce civilian casualties in the Gaza War. The bill, which has 21 co-sponsors, was referred to the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Rep. Mark Green, R-Tenn., reintroduced a bill June 6 that would give the U.K. the same licensing exemption for unclassified defense exports that Canada currently enjoys under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations. The Special Relationship Military Improvement Act, which Green previously introduced in the last Congress, was referred to the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Reps. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, Sara Jacobs, D-Calif., and Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., introduced a bill May 23 that would bar State and Defense department officials involved in military sales from lobbying for three years after leaving their government jobs. The lawmakers said the No Revolving Door in Foreign Military Sales Act is intended to prevent conflicts of interest when former civil servants go to work for the defense industry or foreign actors. The legislation was referred to the House Judiciary Committee.
Chinese Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao and EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic discussed export controls and trade remedies during a meeting in Paris last week, according to an unofficial translation of a Chinese readout of the talks. China said the two sides continued to discuss the EU's countervailing duties on electric vehicle imports from China (see 2408200020) and made some progress toward an agreement on price commitments.
The U.S. this week sanctioned Los Chapitos, part of the Mexico-based Sinaloa Cartel, which controls laboratories that insert fentanyl in counterfeit pills that are later trafficked to the U.S. The Office of Foreign Assets Control also sanctioned two fugitive leaders of Los Chapitos and a regional network of Los Chapitos associates and businesses based in Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico. OFAC said they’re involved in drug trafficking, extortion, kidnapping, and money laundering.