Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., and Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., are promoting a bill they say should guide government investments in advanced manufacturing or industrial research, and should be a companion to the Endless Frontier Act. The National Strategy to Ensure American Leadership (SEAL) Act would ask the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine to identify which technologies will be the critical ones in the next five to 10 years, where if the U.S. is not a strong player, it could hurt the economy.
Four Republicans senators reintroduced a bill last week that would require that the executive branch impose sanctions on foreigners responsible for taking U.S. hostages, even if those responsible are government officials. It also creates a mechanism for Congress to require that an administration open a review if a government official was responsible for a hostage taking, and therefore, must be covered by the sanctions. The bill was sponsored by Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind. and Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., and introduced April 16. Hawley and Cotton sponsored another bill, called the Global Hostages Act, in 2019 that did not move in committee. Although it is called the Global Hostage Act, it would also apply to politically motivated harassment, abuse, extortion or arrests of American citizens and permanent residents, not just imprisonment or detainment.
The National Pork Producers' Legislative Action Conference made advocating for market access in Vietnam one of its top three priorities, the trade group said April 14. The NPP Council urged farmers to ask their representatives to sign onto a letter led by Reps. Ron Kind, D-Wis.; Darin LaHood, R-Ill; Dusty Johnson, R-S.D.; and Jim Costa, D-Calif. That letter, sent to U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai, asks, "While you discuss the full range of trade issues with Vietnam, including those subject to Section 301 investigations, please consider pressing for further market access for U.S. pork."
Two Republican lawmakers urged the Biden administration to increase sanctions against Nord Stream 2, the Russian gas pipeline, after reports that Russia is preparing to further invade Ukraine. Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas and Jim Risch of Idaho, the two top Republicans on the House and Senate’s respective foreign affairs committees, applauded the administration’s increased Russian sanctions last week (see 2104150019) but said more should be done. “While yesterday’s sanctions on Russia are a positive half-step, they did not include the one U.S. action that would have an immediate impact -- sanctioning and stopping the Nord Stream 2 pipeline,” the lawmakers said April 16. They said the pipeline is a “key source of Russian malign influence” and called on the administration to “fully” implement sanctions against the project “without delay.” Several other lawmakers from both parties have asked the administration to increase sanctions against the pipeline (see 2102170013, 2103240014 and 2008110016). The White House didn’t comment.
Top Republicans on the Senate Judiciary, Finance and Banking committees asked the Treasury Department to brief them on how Treasury plans to handle foreign governments that try to evade U.S. investment screening tools. Sens. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, Mike Crapo of Idaho and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania “remain concerned” that China and other foreign governments are attempting to evade reviews by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. “to undermine U.S. superiority in leading edge technologies,” they wrote in an April 13 letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. They asked the administration to provide a briefing by May 1 on how it will “approach and handle” CFIUS evasion attempts as well as any actions Treasury has already taken. Treasury didn't comment.
Two Senate Republicans this week suggested they will support the Foreign Relations Committee’s recently introduced China legislation (see 2104080066) that would authorize more export controls and investment restrictions to counter Chinese trade and technology practices.
Two Republican lawmakers urged the Commerce Department to place more restrictions on exports of electronic design automation tools (see 2104060045). In an April 13 letter, Rep. Mike McCaul of Texas and Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas said they are concerned that EDA tools are being used by Chinese companies -- including Phytium Technologies, which was added to the Entity List this month (see 2104080011) -- to develop advanced weapons and support the Chinese military.
Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, is concerned that China is violating U.S. sanctions against Iran, and asked the State Department about potential actions it may take. McCaul, the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said China is reportedly buying Iranian oil “in defiance of U.S. sanctions,” according to an April 12 letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken. He asked Blinken to confirm whether those reports are true, whether the administration plans to punish China for violating the sanctions, whether China is selling weapons to Iran and what kind of impact this is having on U.S. companies. A State Department spokesperson declined to comment.
A bill introduced last month (see 2103110018) by nine Republican senators calls for more export controls and sanctions to allow the U.S. to better compete with China and counter that country’s illegal trade practices. The bill's text, released this week, includes several suggestions for U.S. export control policy, and calls for updating export controls and investment restrictions to better cover critical technologies. The bill also suggests the U.S. collaborate more closely with allies on licensing decisions and urges the administration to ensure that exports of drones “remain subject to the same export considerations as military aircraft.”
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said he would join the resolution introduced last month by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, urging the resolution of trade negotiations with the United Kingdom (see 2103250040). “This is a very important trading relationship we've got to get settled right away,” Grassley said on a phone call with reporters April 13. Removing barriers for farmers must be a part of any U.K. free trade agreement, Grassley said. The only trade priority he would rank higher is ensuring China makes its promised purchases under phase one, he said.