Crystal Saleh, formerly a supervisor for Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. issues at USDA, is no longer with the government after being "impacted" by the Trump administration's sweeping cuts of employees who are still on probationary status, she announced on LinkedIn. Saleh had been with USDA since February 2024, where she oversaw projects related to CFIUS compliance and agriculture.

The European Commission knocked down reporting that it is ready to drop its 10% tariffs on autos, and defended the pattern of trade between the EU and the U.S. in a FAQ document on the concept of reciprocal tariffs.

Rep. Abraham Hamadeh, R-Ariz., introduced a bill Feb. 13 to redesignate the Houthis, also known as Ansarallah, as a foreign terrorist organization, subjecting the Yemen-based group to additional sanctions. The legislation was referred to the House Judiciary Committee. The bill, which is a companion to a measure that Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, reintroduced Jan. 13 (see 2501150011), would codify an executive order President Donald Trump signed Jan. 22 (see 2501230002).

Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., reintroduced a bill Feb. 13 to help American companies identify and avoid doing business with foreign entities linked to human rights abuses, especially forced labor in China. The Combating CCP Labor Abuses Act would require the Commerce Department to offer training and guidance to U.S. exporters to increase their awareness of human rights abuses. The bill, which has two Republican co-sponsors, was referred to the Senate Commerce Committee. The full Senate unanimously passed the legislation in the previous Congress.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Feb. 17 that he believes the Senate can still reach a compromise on legislation to sanction the International Criminal Court for issuing arrest warrants against Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, reintroduced a bill Feb. 13 that would require regular reports to Congress on where licensed dual-use goods are being sent abroad. Those reports would contain detailed information on export license applications, including who is applying, who the recipient is, the outcome of the application, and what compliance measures are in place to ensure adherence to U.S. export regulations. The Maintaining American Superiority by Improving Export Control Transparency Act, which is intended to aid congressional oversight, was referred to the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The full House passed the bill in September, in the previous Congress (see 2409100024).

The U.K. general sanctions license permitting humanitarian activity in Syria expired Feb. 14, the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation announced. The license previously allowed humanitarian organizations to undertake activities needed to "facilitate humanitarian assistance in relation to earthquake relief efforts in Syria and Turkey." The agency earlier this month issued a separate license permitting certain humanitarian activity in Syria (see 2502120030).

The Council of the European Union on Feb. 18 renewed its "restrictive measures framework" on Zimbabwe for another year, until Feb. 20, 2026. The measures include an embargo on arms and equipment that can be used for internal repression. However, the council delisted the last remaining entity on the sanctions list, the Zimbabwe Defence Industries.

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Companies in the Czech Republic plan to ask the Bureau of Industry and Security to loosen restrictions on U.S. exports of advanced artificial intelligence chips that were put in place as part of a BIS rule in January that tightened controls for nations around the world.