Jeffrey Kessler, President Donald Trump’s choice to lead the Bureau of Industry and Security (see 2502040059), said at his Senate nomination hearing Feb. 27 that he has reservations about the agency’s latest export controls on advanced artificial intelligence chips and wants to scrutinize them. He also testified that he plans to examine whether BIS needs more resources and a reorganization.
Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., and Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., reintroduced a bill Feb. 25 that would add the agriculture secretary to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. to review agricultural transactions. The Protecting American Agriculture from Foreign Adversaries Act was referred to the Senate Banking Committee and the House Financial Services, Foreign Affairs and Energy and Commerce committees. The full House passed the bill in September, in the previous Congress (see 2409110045).
Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., and Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., reintroduced a bill Feb. 25 that would prevent Chinese Communist Party agents or businesses from buying real estate next to U.S. federal land. The No American Land for Communist China Act was referred to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The lawmakers had introduced the legislation last year, in the previous Congress (see 2408020055 and 2406120055).
The U.S. will have to consider "all available measures, including sanctions," if Thailand moves ahead with plans to forcibly deport 48 Uyghur refugees to China, the leaders of the House Select Committee on China said in a joint statement Feb. 26.
The U.K. has seen a steady uptick in the number of new criminal investigations on sanctions and export control violations over the last three years, with most having a Russia connection, the country’s trade enforcement agency said. The agency during that time has worked to strengthen its “capabilities for detecting and responding to sanctions breaches,” including by hiring 40 more criminal investigators and devoting more funding toward gathering “intelligence” on industry’s sanctions compliance efforts.
A new task force that the House Foreign Affairs Committee created to improve how the government handles foreign military sales and export controls has begun its work, committee Chairman Brian Mast, R-Fla., said Feb. 25.
Although the Trump administration has temporarily delayed enforcing a law that calls for China’s ByteDance to divest TikTok or face a ban of the popular social media application in the U.S., ByteDance shouldn't expect the reprieve to become permanent, the leaders of the House Select Committee on China said at a Brookings Institution event Feb. 25.
Citing civilian casualties in the Gaza war, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., introduced four joint resolutions of disapproval Feb. 20 to block the sale of more than $8 billion in U.S. military equipment to Israel, including bombs, missiles and artillery shells. The Trump administration notified Congress about the transactions earlier this month. The resolutions were referred to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Three other Sanders resolutions aimed at blocking arms sales to Israel failed in the Senate by wide margins in November (see 2411210022).
Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., reintroduced a bill Feb. 24 that would impose sanctions on foreign persons who engage in or facilitate forced organ harvesting in China. The Falun Gong Protection Act, named for Falun Gong spiritual movement followers who are among the main victims of involuntary organ harvesting, was referred to the House Foreign Affairs and Judiciary committees. The House passed the bill by voice vote in June 2024 in the previous Congress (see 2406260044).
The leaders of the House Select Committee on China said Feb. 25 that Congress should pass legislation restricting U.S. outbound investment in China despite a recent move by the Trump administration to address the issue.