The leaders of the House Select Committee on China said Nov. 25 that they have asked for a briefing on how the Treasury Department is responding to Hong Kong’s growing role in sanctions evasion.
A Treasury Department final rule that’s expected to expand the enforcement and monitoring powers of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. is scheduled to be officially published in the Federal Register Nov. 26 and take effect Dec. 26. The agency earlier this month issued a prepublication version of the rule, which will allow CFIUS to impose higher maximum penalties, collect a broader range of information from parties involved in non-notified transactions, fine companies and issue subpoenas in a wider set of circumstances, and more (see 2411180048).
Rep. Sean Casten, D-Ill., introduced a bill last week to require the Energy Department to examine the impact on climate change and other factors when considering permits for new liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminals.
Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., introduced a bill Nov. 21 to prohibit the transfer of Army Tactical Missile Systems, or ATACMS, to Ukraine. His bill was referred to the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Higgins has been a critic of U.S. military aid to Ukraine, and President Joe Biden reportedly recently agreed to allow Ukraine to use ATACMS to strike deeper inside Russia. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas, said Nov. 17 that he welcomes Biden's decision but believes it should have occurred sooner.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., introduced two export-related measures Nov. 21 aimed at encouraging the United Arab Emirates to stop arming Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia group, which is fighting the Sudanese Armed Forces.
House Foreign Affairs Committee ranking member Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., said Nov. 20 that the Biden administration should sanction the Myanma Economic Bank, which serves the country’s oppressive military junta. He cited a news report indicating that dozens of Myanmar civil society groups have urged the State and Treasury departments to sanction the bank. Sanctioning the bank would be a "pivotal next step to implementing" his Burma Unified Through Rigorous Military Accountability Act, or BURMA Act, which was signed into law in December 2022, he said.
Several Republican lawmakers called for sanctioning International Criminal Court (ICC) officials after the ICC issued arrest warrants Nov. 21 for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over the war in Gaza.
The Treasury Department’s lead official for the Committee on the Foreign Investment in the U.S. expects the committee to continue much of its existing efforts under the incoming Trump administration, including by prioritizing enforcement and compliance with mitigation agreements.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Ben Cardin, D-Md., said Nov. 20 that he opposes legislation to block the transfer of offensive weapons to Israel.
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Nov. 20 that she’s trying to get two sanctions bills included in the FY 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which Congress aims to pass before it adjourns for the year in December.