Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, criticized China on Jan. 12 for banning dual-use exports to Japanese military users because it disliked Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s recent comments on Taiwan.
Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla., introduced a bill Jan. 9 aimed at bolstering American AI exports amid growing foreign competition.
House and Senate negotiators unveiled a compromise FY 2026 financial services and general government appropriations bill Jan. 11 that would fully fund the Trump administration’s request for the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. and the Treasury Department’s Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence (TFI) while slightly cutting its request for the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network.
Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, and Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., introduced a bill Jan. 8 aimed at improving the ability of the U.S. and its allies to counter trade-based money laundering.
The joint resolution of disapproval that Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., recently introduced to block arms sales to Taiwan (see 2601060046) would affect more than $11 billion in possible transactions that the State Department announced Dec. 17, according to legislative text posted Jan. 8 on Congress.gov. Paul and his office have declined to comment on his proposal.
Senate Banking Committee ranking member Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., urged committee Chairman Tim Scott, R-S.C., to hold hearings on the implications of the recent U.S. military operation in Venezuela, including the impact on U.S. sanctions policy.
The House voted 397-28 on Jan. 8 to approve a compromise three-bill FY 2026 appropriations package that would provide $235 million for the Bureau of Industry and Security, up $44 million (23%) from the enacted FY 2025 level.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., issued a statement Jan. 7 saying that he hopes there will be a vote on the Russia sanctions bill (see 2512190029 and 2601050050) "as early as next week."
Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, urged the Trump administration Jan. 6 to consider sanctioning Faiq Zaidan, head of Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council, for helping Iran increase its influence over Iraq.
Last month's U.S. air strikes on Islamic State militants in Nigeria have not eliminated the need for a bill to impose property-blocking sanctions on Nigerian officials who permit or promote the persecution of Christians and other religious minorities, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said Jan. 6. “I think the legislation remains important,” he said.