Sens. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., and Jim Banks, R-Ind., and Rep. Dale Strong, R-Ala., reintroduced legislation Feb. 18 that would prohibit the sale of U.S. agricultural land to “foreign adversaries,” namely China, Iran, North Korea and Russia.
The Senate voted 51-45 along party lines late Feb. 18 to confirm investment firm leader Howard Lutnick as the next commerce secretary. Lutnick has pledged to make strong enforcement of export controls a “hallmark” of his tenure (see 2502050048). President Donald Trump formally nominated Lutnick for the position last month. Commerce official Jeremy Pelter had been serving as acting secretary for several weeks (see 2501210030).
The U.S. and other Group of 7 nations should make greater use of the roughly $300 billion in Russian assets frozen in the West, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch, R-Idaho, and three other senators said in a Feb. 18 statement. While the G7 agreed last year to use interest from those Russian assets to finance a $50 billion loan to Ukraine (see 2406140056), the senators said the allies should provide more much-needed support to Ukraine by confiscating the frozen assets or using them as collateral for another, larger loan. The Rebuilding Economic Prosperity and Opportunity for Ukrainians Act, which President Joe Biden signed into law in April 2024 (see 2404240043), authorizes the U.S. to repurpose its share of the frozen assets.
Rep. Abraham Hamadeh, R-Ariz., introduced a bill Feb. 13 to redesignate the Houthis, also known as Ansarallah, as a foreign terrorist organization, subjecting the Yemen-based group to additional sanctions. The legislation was referred to the House Judiciary Committee. The bill, which is a companion to a measure that Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, reintroduced Jan. 13 (see 2501150011), would codify an executive order President Donald Trump signed Jan. 22 (see 2501230002).
Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., reintroduced a bill Feb. 13 to help American companies identify and avoid doing business with foreign entities linked to human rights abuses, especially forced labor in China. The Combating CCP Labor Abuses Act would require the Commerce Department to offer training and guidance to U.S. exporters to increase their awareness of human rights abuses. The bill, which has two Republican co-sponsors, was referred to the Senate Commerce Committee. The full Senate unanimously passed the legislation in the previous Congress.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Feb. 17 that he believes the Senate can still reach a compromise on legislation to sanction the International Criminal Court for issuing arrest warrants against Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, reintroduced a bill Feb. 13 that would require regular reports to Congress on where licensed dual-use goods are being sent abroad. Those reports would contain detailed information on export license applications, including who is applying, who the recipient is, the outcome of the application, and what compliance measures are in place to ensure adherence to U.S. export regulations. The Maintaining American Superiority by Improving Export Control Transparency Act, which is intended to aid congressional oversight, was referred to the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The full House passed the bill in September, in the previous Congress (see 2409100024).
Three Senate Democrats, including Senate Banking Committee ranking member Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., have asked the Treasury Department whether it has exempted its Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence (TFI) from the Trump administration’s hiring freeze to ensure TFI can continue to carry out its national security mission.
The U.S. government’s approach to export controls is flawed because it's based on outdated assumptions about China's technological prowess, a witness told the House Foreign Affairs Committee at a closed-door roundtable Feb. 12.
Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., introduced two joint resolutions of disapproval Feb. 12 that would overturn a pair of rules developed by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network.