The House passed a bill by voice vote Dec. 15 that would reauthorize the Federal Maritime Commission through FY 2027. The reauthorization was originally to be extended through FY 2029 but was shortened to match a recently enacted Coast Guard reauthorization bill (see 2506300066 and 2509180046). The FMC legislation now heads to the Senate for its consideration.
House Select Committee on China Chairman John Moolenaar, R-Mich., urged the Treasury Department on Dec. 12 to consider sanctioning Chinese-managed oil tanker Luois; its operator, Qingdao Ocean Kimo Ship Management Co. Ltd.; and its owner, Fung Nam Ltd., for their role in sanctions evasion.
A bipartisan bill was introduced in the House to ask the U.S. trade representative to push Mexico and Canada to establish an investment screening regime and coordinate on "shared threats from investments in strategically important economic sectors and critical infrastructure in North America."
House Select Committee on China Chairman John Moolenaar, R-Mich., has asked the Commerce Department to explain how the Trump administration arrived at its decision to allow Nvidia to sell its advanced H200 AI chip to China (see 2512080059), the panel said Dec. 16.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., tried and failed Dec. 16 to have the Senate vote on his bill to designate Russia a state sponsor of terrorism until it returns more than 19,000 children it abducted during its Ukraine invasion.
A bipartisan group of four senators introduced a bill Dec. 16 to impose additional sanctions targeting Russia’s oil revenue.
Sens. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., and Dave McCormick, R-Pa., introduced a companion Dec. 11 to a House bill that would authorize sanctions on the Yemen-based Houthis for various human rights violations, including unlawful killings. The Houthi Human Rights Accountability Act was referred to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., reintroduced the House version of the bill in March (see 2503070068).
The Senate approved a bill Dec. 11 that would give Taiwan the shorter formal congressional notification timelines and higher weapons value notification thresholds enjoyed by NATO members, plus Australia, Israel, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea (see 2505140001 and 2510220035).
A bipartisan, bicameral group of lawmakers introduced an export control bill Dec. 11 aimed at protecting biotechnology intellectual property from theft by China.
Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, said Dec. 11 the U.S. should designate Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia a Foreign Terrorist Organization.