Rep. Stephanie Bice, R-Okla., introduced a bill Feb. 11 that would encourage states to enact laws barring “foreign adversaries” such as China and Russia from buying farmland within their jurisdictions.
Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, introduced a bill Feb. 12 that would increase sanctions on Iran's energy sector to deprive Tehran of revenue it uses to fund terrorism.
Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., and Reps. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., and Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., introduced a resolution Feb. 13 urging the U.K., France and Germany to reimpose sanctions on Iran for violating its nuclear weapons-related obligations. Tenney said the “snapback” of U.N. sanctions needs to occur before they expire Oct. 18. The sanctions would include export controls, asset freezes and other restrictions on those involved in Iran's nuclear and missile activities. The lawmakers said the European action would complement President Donald Trump's recent efforts to increase Iran sanctions enforcement (see 2502050020).
The U.S. should gradually ease sanctions on Syria to help the war-torn country rebuild, but the lifting of many of those restrictions should be linked to whether Syria’s new leaders live up to their promise to break from their extremist past, two researchers told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Feb. 13.
Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott, R-S.C., introduced a bill on Feb. 11 to give companies more time to comply with the ownership reporting requirements of the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA). The Protect Small Businesses From Excessive Paperwork Act, which has 10 co-sponsors, would extend the filing deadline in the CTA-mandated beneficial ownership information (BOI) rule by a year, to Jan. 1, 2026. The House unanimously passed the legislation Feb. 10 (see 2502110032).
Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., introduced a bill Feb. 7 that would authorize the president to sanction Middle Eastern leaders, except those in Israel, who decline to offer humanitarian entry to Palestinians from Gaza. The Make Gaza Great Again Act is intended to encourage cooperation with President Donald Trump’s proposal to resettle Gaza’s population outside the war-torn territory. The legislation was referred to the House Foreign Affairs and Judiciary committees.
Rep. Mark Green, R-Tenn., reintroduced a bill Feb. 7 that would control exports of certain “national interest technology or intellectual property” to China.
The House of Representatives voted 408-0 late Feb. 10 to pass a bill that would give companies more time to comply with the Corporate Transparency Act, which requires them to submit information on who owns and controls them to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network.
The leaders of the House Select Committee on China criticized California-based Lam Research Feb. 10 for not providing documents the panel requested as part of its ongoing investigation on firms that sell semiconductor manufacturing equipment to China.
House Foreign Affairs Committee ranking member Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., criticized the State Department Feb. 7 for moving ahead with possible arms sales to Israel while he was still reviewing the potential transactions.