Reps. Sarah Elfreth, D-Md., and Kathy Castor, D-Fla., introduced a bill Jan. 14 aimed at preventing sales of U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) to China and other "foreign adversaries."
Reps. Chris Smith, R-N.J., and Maria Salazar, R-Fla., reintroduced a bill Jan. 14 that would impose economic sanctions on Nicaragua’s government for human rights violations, including the persecution of clergy and political dissidents. The Restoring Sovereignty and Human Rights in Nicaragua Act, which the lawmakers previously introduced in the last Congress (see 2401110055), was referred to the House Foreign Affairs, Financial Services, Judiciary, and Ways and Means committees.
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., introduced a bill Jan. 14 that would direct the president to impose financial sanctions on foreign government officials who prevent the delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza and elsewhere.
Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., introduced a bill Jan. 14 that would add the Interior Department to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. to review transactions involving land next to sites owned or managed by the agency and help identify potential national security threats to valuable natural resources.
The House voted 341-79 on Jan. 14 to pass a compromise two-bill FY 2026 appropriations bill package that includes $237.7 million for the Treasury Department’s Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, up 4.8% from the FY 2025 enacted level, and $185.2 million for the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, down 2.6% (see 2601120009). The legislation now heads to the Senate for its consideration.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast, R-Fla., said Jan. 16 that he would “advise” President Donald Trump against allowing Nvidia to sell H200 AI chips to China.
Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., and Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., introduced a bill Jan. 14 that would require entities on the Defense Department’s 1260H List of Chinese military companies to also be included on the Treasury Department’s Non-SDN Chinese Military-Industrial Complex Companies (NS-CMIC) List to bar them from accessing U.S. capital markets.
The Senate voted 82-15 to approve a compromise three-bill FY 2026 appropriations package that would provide a $44 million, or 23%, increase for the Bureau of Industry and Security from the FY 2025 enacted level (see 2601080052). The legislation, which the House approved Jan. 8, now heads to President Donald Trump for his expected signature.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said Jan. 14 that he welcomes the terrorism-related sanctions imposed by the Trump administration on three Muslim Brotherhood branches this week (see 2601130017). “These steps are critical to the national security of the United States and to protecting Americans from the jihadist terrorism promoted by the Brotherhood,” Cruz said in a statement. He reintroduced a bill in July that could lead to terrorist designations for the Muslim Brotherhood and all its branches (see 2507170001).
Senate Banking Committee ranking member Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., on Jan. 14 welcomed the Bureau of Industry and Security’s new license review policy for certain chip exports to China (see 2601130073), saying the agency took a “good step” by requiring companies like Nvidia to prioritize U.S. customers.