Sen. Ted Budd, R-N.C., introduced a bill Oct. 27 that calls for imposing sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act against Chinese officials who violate religious freedom.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, reintroduced a bill Oct. 23 that aims to expedite permits to export liquefied natural gas to non-sanctioned, non-free trade agreement countries. Applications to export LNG to these countries would go through the same accelerated approval process as free trade countries.
A bipartisan group of four House members led by Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., introduced a bill Oct. 24 that aims to transfer about $300 billion in frozen Russian assets to Ukraine. The legislation, which was referred to the House Foreign Affairs Committee, is a companion to a bill the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved Oct. 22 (see 2510220035).
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce told lawmakers Oct 21 that it supports bipartisan legislation to repeal the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, a 2019 law that was aimed at the then-Bashar Assad regime.
Four Senate Democrats criticized the Trump administration Oct. 23 for ignoring their earlier call to sanction Chinese individuals and entities that buy liquefied natural gas from the U.S.-sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 project in Russia.
Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, has been working with the Treasury Department to sanction Colombia's President Gustavo Petro and his "associates and enablers" for their suspected role in drug trafficking, the lawmaker said late Oct. 22.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee ranking member Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., urged the Trump administration late Oct. 22 to increase sanctions on the “shadow fleet” of tankers Russia uses to get around the international price cap on its oil.
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., are working together to ensure that their bill to restrict U.S. outbound investment in China clears its last major hurdle in Congress, Cornyn said late Oct. 22.
U.S. Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack called on Congress on Oct. 20 to repeal the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, saying the 2019 law “served its moral purpose against the previous, treacherous [Bashar] Assad regime but now suffocates a nation seeking to rebuild.”
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved several bills by voice vote Oct. 22 that could lead to additional sanctions on China and Russia.