President Donald Trump announced May 13 that he plans to order the “cessation of sanctions against Syria” to give the war-torn country a “chance at greatness.”
Robert Silvers, a former DHS official who worked on forced labor enforcement, China policy and issues related to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., joined Ropes & Gray. Silvers will co-chair the firm’s national security practice, where he will focus on “critical matters at the intersection of national security, technology, and law,” it said. He left DHS in December after serving as undersecretary for policy and chair of the Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force.
Alan Estevez, undersecretary of the Bureau of Industry and Security during the Biden administration, has joined Covington & Burling as a senior adviser. Estevez is joining the firm's practice groups working on the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. and international trade controls. Estevez served as undersecretary for more than three years, during which he oversaw the introduction and implementation of a range of new export control rules to restrict sales of advanced semiconductors and chip-related technology to China; new export restrictions against Russia; the continued expansion of the Entity List; and more.
Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., reintroduced a bill April 30 that would authorize the State Department to sanction Vietnamese officials complicit in human rights abuses, such as torture and the suppression of religious freedom. The Vietnam Human Rights Act was referred to the House Foreign Affairs and Judiciary committees. The bill has received five previous House approvals -- in 2001, 2004, 2007, 2012 and 2013 -- but has stalled in the Senate each time.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee ranking member Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., urged the Trump administration May 12 to impose additional sanctions on those fueling unrest in Haiti.
Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., and Rep. Frank Mrvan, D-Ind., urged the Trump administration May 5 to consider national security when reviewing foreign takeovers of U.S. steel companies.
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, announced May 12 that he will try to block U.S. arms sales to countries he believes are “paying off” President Donald Trump.
Reps. Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y., and Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., reintroduced a bill late last month that would restrict exports of electronic waste, such as old cell phones and computers. The legislation seeks to prevent such waste from being sent to countries that would discard the materials in an environmentally harmful way or turn them into counterfeit electronics that would then be re-sold. The Secure E-Waste Export and Recycling Act (SEERA), which was previously re-introduced in the last Congress, was referred to the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Rep. Andrew Ogles, R-Tenn., introduced a bill May 8 that would require a license requirements exception for certain advanced integrated circuits exports to Israel. The legislation was referred to the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Ogles’ office did not respond to a request for more information.
Reps. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., and Jimmy Panetta, D-Calif., introduced a bill May 7 that would require the administration to write a report to Congress on Hong Kong’s role in export control and sanctions evasion. The Stop Corrupt Communist Party Money Laundering Act, or Stop CCP Money Laundering Act, also would direct the Treasury Department to determine whether Hong Kong is a jurisdiction of primary money laundering concern. The bill, which was referred to the House Financial Services and Foreign Affairs committees, is a companion to legislation that Sens. John Curtis, R-Utah, and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., introduced in April (see 2504080060).