Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., on Dec. 18 introduced a companion to a Senate bill that would impose property-blocking sanctions on Salvadoran officials for alleged human rights abuses, including imprisoning U.S. residents deported by the Trump administration without due process.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., urged the Trump administration Dec. 29 to release more details on the U.S.-China deal that will transfer ownership of TikTok from China’s ByteDance to American investors (see 2509250064).
Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., on Dec. 18 reintroduced a companion to a Senate bill that would require the president to identify and sanction those responsible for torture, abductions and other human rights abuses against Southern Mongolians in China.
The recent introduction of several bills to restrict foreign sales of computing chips shows that lawmakers are eager to legislate on the issue but haven't yet reached agreement on how to do so, Morgan Lewis trade lawyer Mike Huneke said in an interview.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said Dec. 29 that sanctions should be “strictly enforced” to address Turkey’s reported role in helping Russia's oil industry evade Western sanctions. Blumenthal also said that arms sales to Turkey, such as the F-35 fighter, should be “selectively blocked” until Ankara changes its behavior.
Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., and Reps. Adriano Espaillat and Yvette Clarke, both New York Democrats, introduced a bill this month to prohibit most U.S. exports of natural gas.
Senate Banking Committee ranking member Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-Pa., a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, led a group of 27 congressional Democrats in urging the Commerce Department’s Office of Inspector General on Dec. 17 to investigate whether Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has engaged in a conflict of interest by advocating for AI data center projects that reportedly benefit his family business, financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald.
The Energy Department plans to examine a recent congressional report that says many DOE-funded research projects have been conducted with Chinese entities the U.S. government has placed on restricted lists for their ties to China’s military or role in human rights abuses, a department spokesperson said Dec. 22.
Reps. Martin Stutzman, R-Ind., and Josh Brecheen, R-Okla., led more than 100 House Republicans Dec. 19 in calling for increased oversight of Syria following the repeal of a sanctions law targeting that country. The lawmakers said they want to ensure that Syria’s new government protects the country’s religious and ethnic minorities.
Sens. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., announced Dec. 21 that they have introduced a bill to close a “loophole” that has allowed China to use cloud service providers to access advanced U.S. chips remotely.