The House Select Committee on China said in a new report that the Bureau of Industry and Security should receive additional funding to improve its export control capabilities amid a growing workload.
The first few weeks of Undersecretary Jeffrey Kessler’s tenure at the Bureau of Industry and Security have been defined by industry uncertainty and skepticism toward career government and business officials, industry members and BIS staff said.
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The U.S. is likely to soon try to place export controls around open-source technologies, including technologies related to semiconductors and artificial intleligence, a geopolitical risk management consultant said.
Sens. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., and Mark Warner, D-Va., introduced a bill April 10 aimed at preventing the smuggling of U.S. artificial intelligence chips into China.
Matt Borman, who left the government earlier this year after more than two decades at the Bureau of Industry and Security (see 2502240003), has joined the Center for Strategic and International Studies as a non-resident senior technical expert. CSIS said Borman will "lead the technical expertise of" the think tank's Economic Security and Technology Department. Borman was most recently the BIS principal deputy assistant secretary for export administration.
House Select Committee on China ranking member Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., and 10 other committee Democrats urged the Commerce Department April 9 to reconsider its plans to pull back from traditional export control dialogues with allies, including the U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC).
Landon Heid, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be assistant secretary of commerce for export administration (see 2502120020), said April 10 that he wants the Bureau of Industry and Security to wage a “continuous battle every single day” to prevent China from obtaining restricted U.S. technology.
Exporters and other companies could start seeing an uptick in government subpoenas as the Bureau of Industry and Security looks to increase export penalties, industry officials said this week, adding that businesses should make sure they’re scrutinizing transactions and watching for red flags.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company may face a fine of up to $1 billion or more if the Commerce Department determines it violated U.S. export control laws against Huawei, Reuters reported April 8. The Bureau of Industry and Security has reportedly been investigating the chip company after one of its chips was found in a Huawei product (see 2411120011 and 2410230019), and Reuters said Commerce could reach a $1 billion penalty because export control regulations allow the agency to issue a fine of up to twice the value of transactions that violate the rules. Reuters said it "could not determine how the Trump administration will proceed with TSMC or when the matter would be resolved."