Project 2025 Contributor No Longer With BIS as Deputy Undersecretary
James Rockas is no longer with the Bureau of Industry and Security after being appointed by the Trump administration to the position of deputy undersecretary in January, two people with knowledge of the matter said. Rockas left BIS last week and moved to the State Department, a Commerce Department spokesperson confirmed. He was replaced by Joe Bartlett, the BIS legislative affairs director.
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Rockas' departure isn't expected to affect current BIS policy direction, the people said, adding that his influence within the agency was minimal after Undersecretary Jeffrey Kessler began in his role in March (see 2503200011).
Rockas was one of two agency officials listed as contributors to recommendations for the Commerce Department in Project 2025, which called on BIS to significantly expand export controls against China, eliminate license exceptions for certain “countries of concern,” broaden the agency’s restrictions on foreign-made items, and more (see 2502280006). Rockas, who also served briefly as acting BIS undersecretary before Kessler took over, helped lead a pause of BIS export license applications earlier this year (see 2502190018).
Kessler restarted the licensing pause after joining BIS (see 2504020051). It's unclear where the pause stands, although the agency has approved at least some license applications to close U.S. allies in recent weeks, two people said.
Rockas was the executive director of the conservative advocacy group American Center for Law & Justice Action before joining BIS.