A new automated tool that allows the Bureau of Industry and Security to screen license applications against certain U.S. government intelligence information could lead to an uptick in license denials, a Commerce Department official said.

The U.S. government’s recently revised policy guidance for missile technology exports gives the Bureau of Industry and Security more flexibility to approve export licenses to support space launch vehicle (SLV) programs, a Commerce Department official said March 19.

The Bureau of Industry and Security is hoping to publish new guidance to clarify due diligence expectations for companies subject to the agency’s recent semiconductor-related export control rules, Commerce Department officials said this week. They also said the agency is hoping to expand its list of approved designers that will benefit from some licensing carve-outs for certain chip exports.

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The Bureau of Industry and Security hasn't yet lifted all the licensing holds that began for export applications in early February, a Commerce Department official said this week, although the agency is hoping to make progress on the holds soon.

The Trump administration plans to substantially increase fines against companies that violate export controls, including against China, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said this week. He also said the U.S. is planning to incorporate export control commitments into free trade deal negotiations as a way to incentivize trading partners to better restrict their sensitive technologies.

OpenAI, Google and other leading technology companies and organizations urged the U.S. this month to rework the Biden administration’s artificial intelligence diffusion rule, saying it places too many restrictions on American firms and its trading partners.

A State Department notice declaring that all agency efforts to control international trade now constitute a "foreign affairs function" of the U.S. under the Administrative Procedure Act will ultimately be subject to the discretion of the courts, trade lawyers told us.

Former U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan defended the Biden administration's final weeks of moves that imposed sanctions against Russia and export controls on China, saying they set up the current administration for success.

The Senate voted 54-45 late March 13 to confirm Washington trade lawyer Jeffrey Kessler to be undersecretary of commerce for industry and security. The vote came a week after the Senate Banking Committee approved Kessler’s nomination along party lines (see 2503060043). Kessler has said he would conduct a host of reviews at the Bureau of Industry and Security, including whether the agency needs more statutory authorities to do its job (see 2503060043).