The Trump administration wants Congress to increase funding for the Bureau of Industry and Security by $132 million or 77% in FY 2026 to prevent sensitive U.S. technology from falling into the wrong hands, a senior administration official said May 2.

Although the Bureau of Industry and Security's AI diffusion export control rule has sparked broad pushback from some U.S. allies, it appears to take a “strong step” toward improving BIS efforts to prevent chip smuggling to China, said researchers with the Center for a New American Security. If the Trump administration decides to tweak parts of the rule or revoke it altogether, the researchers warned, the U.S. will need to find other ways for BIS to better enforce its chip controls.

John Kabealo, founder of Kabealo Law, and Evan Sills, former counsel at Kabealo Law, have joined Kirkland & Ellis as partners in the international trade and national security practice group, the firm announced. Kabealo Law, a boutique national security law firm, specialized in the national security regulatory process, dealing with issues related to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency, Team Telecom and cybersecurity, Kirkland said.

President Donald Trump is nominating his national security adviser, Milke Waltz, to instead be the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., he announced on social media. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will serve as interim national security adviser while continuing to lead the State Department, Trump said. The announcement comes weeks after it was revealed Waltz added a journalist to a discussion about military plans among senior administration officials on the messaging app Signal.

Canada this week published new guidance and other resources to help Canadian companies facing increased costs from “unjustified tariffs” imposed by the U.S., including a new webpage for understanding how businesses can secure tariff-free treatment for certain goods under USMCA. Canada said it’s “providing new and comprehensive information on rules of origin and customs procedures under” the trade deal, including a new webpage on understanding USMCA compliance, “self-serve resources for problem solving related to tariffs,” and a list of federal and provincial Canadian support programs available to businesses. The country also said small and medium-size companies can call the government’s new hotline on weekdays for information on USMCA.

The State Department approved two possible military sales, to India and Kuwait, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said this week.

Sens. Todd Young, R-Ind., and Mark Warner, D-Va., said the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. should review the potential purchase by a foreign entity of 23andMe, a bankrupt U.S. biotechnology firm that holds sensitive information on millions of people. In an April 28 letter to DOJ and the Federal Trade Commission, the senators commended DOJ for recently recommending such a CFIUS review. The senators are particularly concerned that China could buy 23andMe and use the company's data for “malign” purposes, such as transnational surveillance.

A bill aimed at revitalizing the American maritime sector includes a provision that would require the Commerce and State Departments to study ways to reduce export controls and International Traffic in Arms Regulations on foreign-owned companies that wish to invest in the U.S. shipbuilding industry.

Paul Dabbar, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be deputy commerce secretary, said May 1 that he would support the 1979 international Agreement on Trade in Civil Aircraft, which calls for eliminating tariffs on civil aircraft, engines, flight simulators and related parts.

The U.K. on May 1 amended one entry under its Russia sanctions regime, the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation announced. OFSI updated the listing of Albert Shigabutdinov to reflect that he's a director of the TAIF Group, a firm operating in the Russian energy, financial services and communications sectors.