Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., introduced a bill April 1 to sanction Russia and its supporters if Moscow refuses to negotiate a peace agreement with Ukraine in good faith or undermines Ukraine’s sovereignty after a peace deal is reached.
World Trade Organization members on April 1 appointed Pakistan's Ali Sarfraz Hussain the new head of the Committee on Agriculture in a special session, the WTO announced. Hussain will lead agriculture talks with the goal of achieving a "meaningful outcome" at the 14th Ministerial Conference, which is set for March 26-29, 2026, the WTO said. Hussain takes over for Turkey's Alparslan Alcarsoy. The new chair will also head the Committee on Agriculture's special session subcommittee on cotton and will meet with "delegations and group coordinators over the coming days." After these meetings, Hussain said he will invite members to an informal special session meeting and dedicated sessions on "public food stockholding and the 'special safeguard mechanism' in the third week of April."
Several lawmakers welcomed the State Department’s March 31 announcement that it is sanctioning six Hong Kong government and police officials who it said have helped to implement the territory's repressive national security law (see 2503310041).
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch, R-Idaho, and House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast, R-Fla., said March 31 that they may pursue sanctions if the U.N. Human Rights Council (HRC) creates a new mechanism to investigate Israel.
Four Democratic lawmakers said this week that the Bureau of Industry and Security’s plans to pull back from traditional export control dialogues with allies, including the U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council, will reduce international collaboration and make it harder to keep sensitive technology out of the hands of China.
Costa Rica and Albania edged closer to acceding to the World Trade Organization's Agreement on Government Procurement after members of the Committee on Government Procurement "welcomed the market access offers recently submitted" by the two nations, the WTO said. During a March 26 meeting of the committee, WTO members acknowledged the final market access offers from Costa Rica and Albania, which were submitted in January. WTO members also agreed to boost access to historical government procurement agreement documents.
Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, introduced a resolution March 27 that would form a bipartisan House committee to develop policy recommendations to counter Mexican drug cartels.
House Select Committee on China ranking member Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., and Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-Mass., urged the Trump administration March 31 to investigate whether China’s Yantai iRay Technology Co. Ltd. is evading U.S. sanctions by selling its thermal imaging products in the U.S. through subsidiaries and other affiliated entities.
The State Department this week sanctioned six Hong Kong government and police officials who it said have helped to implement Hong Kong’s repressive national security law, which penalizes government dissent.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee announced last week that it has appointed a total of 12 members – seven Republicans, five Democrats -- to its new task force on foreign arms sales.