The House voted Jan. 3 to renew the House Select Committee on China as part of an adoption of rules for the new 119th Congress.
Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, reintroduced a bill Jan. 3 that would sanction International Criminal Court (ICC) officials for issuing arrest warrants for Israeli officials over the war in Gaza (see 2405090034).
Rep. French Hill, R-Ark., incoming chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, announced Jan. 2 that Ben Johnson will be the panel’s new staff director. Johnson most recently was staff director for the House Small Business Committee. Also at House Financial Services, Kim Betz will be deputy staff director and general counsel, and Allison Behuniak will be policy director. The committee has played a major role in attempts to pass legislation to restrict U.S. outbound investment in China.
Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., is joining the Senate Foreign Relations Committee this month for the new 119th Congress, incoming Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., announced Jan. 2.
The Uyghur Human Rights Project said Dec. 30 that it welcomes the five-year extension of two sanctions laws: the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act and the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act.
A group of Senate Republicans criticized the State Department’s decision this month to renew the U.S.-China Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement for another five years, saying it gives “cover” to universities, businesses and others to continue research cooperation with entities tied to the Chinese government.
Sens. Edward Markey, D-Mass., and Rand Paul, R-Ky., urged the Biden administration Dec. 19 to give China’s ByteDance more time to comply with the law that requires the company to divest TikTok by Jan. 19 or face a U.S. ban on the popular social media application.
Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., reintroduced a bill Dec. 19 to prohibit gasoline exports during periods of high gas prices, with the goal of boosting domestic supply to lower prices. The bill was referred to the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Khanna previously introduced the bill in October 2022, defining high prices as a national average of $3.12 per gallon or more for a week.
Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., introduced a bill Dec. 20 to sanction Turkey if it doesn't renew a recently expired ceasefire between the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Ben Cardin, D-Md., House Foreign Affairs Committee ranking member Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., and four other lawmakers asked the Government Accountability Office in a Dec. 18 letter to study whether U.S. agencies need additional sanctions authorities to go after illegal mining or other foreign environmental crimes committed by transnational criminal organizations (TCOs). The letter says that illegal mining of metals and minerals is booming in the Western Hemisphere and is harming the environment while enriching TCOs. Sens. Bill Cassidy, R-La., and Tim Kaine, D-Va., and Reps. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, and Maria Salazar, R-Fla., also signed the letter.