The U.S. and other countries imposing sanctions and export controls on Russia need a more “aggressive” plan to cripple Moscow’s war effort, a group of researchers and economists said, including through tighter financial restrictions, new bans on Russian commodities and broader export controls. They also said American lawyers should have to follow strict due diligence and reporting rules when taking on clients with ties to Russia, and said the price cap on Russian oil should be lowered.
Several provisions relating to sanctions and export controls are included in the Senate version of the FY 2025 Intelligence Authorization Act, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence said in a bill summary released last week.
The Government Accountability Office told Sen. Mike Crapo of Idaho, the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, that Congress can't vote to overturn the Japan critical minerals agreement.
A bipartisan group of six senators introduced a bill last week that would sanction Georgian officials for passing “foreign agents” legislation that cracks down on civil society organizations and independent media outlets.
The leaders of the House Select Committee on China asked DOJ last week to investigate the Drone Advocacy Alliance for illegally lobbying on behalf of, and promoting the “interests of,” sanctioned Chinese drone company DJI, which also is on the Commerce Department’s Entity List. Reps. John Moolenaar, R-Mich., and Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., said the alliance is “funded and maintained” by DJI, and may be violating filing requirements under the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
U.S. lawmakers should finish pending legislation to restrict outbound investment to China so it doesn't leave the job of controlling such capital flows solely to the executive branch, a congressionally mandated commission heard last week.
The U.S. government should explore the possibility of prohibiting inbound Chinese foreign direct investment in a few sensitive high-sectors to ease the workload burden on the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., a congressionally mandated commission heard last week.
The U.S. government should combine its various export control and sanctions lists into two distinct lists, which could allow the government to better implement trade restrictions and improve industry compliance, a congressional commission heard this week. The commission also discussed whether U.S. export control agencies should have to release more information about their licensing decisions, with one witness saying more transparency would increase business certainty, while another said it would discourage candor between the government and exporters.
The U.S. government should re-examine its export controls for aviation and shipbuilding to slow China’s advances in those dual-use sectors, a congressionally mandated commission heard May 23. The government also should consider more restrictions on Huawei and improve its efforts to get allies on board with U.S. export controls, the panel was told.
Samuel Moss, former attorney adviser with the Treasury Department, has joined the Pentagon as an associate general counsel, he announced on LinkedIn. Moss previously worked on issues related to sanctions and the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. at Treasury (see 2405060003).