Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch, R-Idaho, said late Oct. 7 that the defense export approval process seems to be proceeding normally despite the government shutdown. Risch told Export Compliance Daily that he continues to receive a “constant flow” of arms sale notifications from the executive branch. “It hasn’t been interrupted.”
The Senate voted 51-47 along party lines late Oct. 7 to confirm a group of nominees including David Peters to lead the Bureau of Industry and Security’s Office of Export Enforcement, Thomas DiNanno to be undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, and Jacob Helberg to be undersecretary of state for economic growth, energy and the environment.
Reps. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., and Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., introduced a bill Sept. 30 that would impose sanctions on Azerbaijan if the country violates its new peace agreement with Armenia.
House Select Committee on China Chairman John Moolenaar, R-Mich., urged the Trump administration Oct. 3 to resist a reported push by China to reduce national security restrictions on its investments in the U.S. “China’s true desire is to take advantage of our country’s industry and knowledge, stealing innovation and threatening jobs,” Moolenaar said in a statement. “China has weaponized its own market and companies against us for decades, and we cannot allow those companies to have more access to our economy.”
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch, R-Idaho, proposed a bill that would require the executive branch to form an interagency task force to identify Chinese entities that could be sanctioned for supporting an attempt by China to take over Taiwan.
Rep. Eric “Rick” Crawford, R-Ark., introduced a bill Sept. 30 that would require the president to form a task force to identify trade barriers to U.S. agricultural exports and develop and implement a strategy to enforce trade agreements against those barriers.
Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., introduced a bill Sept. 30 that would allow the president to use International Emergency Economic Powers Act sanctions against transnational criminal organizations that conduct large-scale cyber scams targeting Americans.
Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Alex Padilla, D-Calif., introduced a bill Sept. 29 that's designed to protect American companies that are sued in federal court for complying with U.S. sanctions and export controls, especially those against Russia.
Senate Banking Committee member Mark Warner, D-Va., urged the Bureau of Industry and Security on Sept. 30 to consider placing export controls on open-source technologies that could benefit China.
House Foreign Affairs Committee ranking member Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., criticized the Bureau of Industry and Security’s new final rule rescinding the Biden administration’s increased restrictions on firearms exports (see 2509290045), saying the move will diminish government oversight of such transactions.