Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Ben Cardin, D-Md., and Sens. Bill Cassidy, R-La., and Marco Rubio, R-Fla., urged the Biden administration in a joint statement May 30 to sanction anyone involved in detaining, trying and torturing political prisoners in Venezuela, including judges, clerks, prison guards and interrogators. The senators said the Venezuelan government has increased its persecution of human rights and political activists in the run-up to the country’s July 28 presidential election.
At least four congressional Republicans from Florida -- Sen. Marco Rubio and Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart, Carlo Gimenez and Maria Salazar -- criticized the Biden administration’s decision to give some in Cuba’s private sector access to the U.S. financial system (see 2405280033), saying such entities are generally controlled by, and enrich, the country’s communist government. “Instead of helping fund the repressive, anti-American dictatorship and their cronies, the Biden administration should tighten sanctions and stand in strong solidarity with the Cuban people in their struggle to be free,” Diaz-Balart tweeted.
Several provisions relating to sanctions and export controls are included in the Senate version of the FY 2025 Intelligence Authorization Act, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence said in a bill summary released last week.
The Government Accountability Office told Sen. Mike Crapo of Idaho, the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, that Congress can't vote to overturn the Japan critical minerals agreement.
The leaders of the House Select Committee on China asked DOJ last week to investigate the Drone Advocacy Alliance for illegally lobbying on behalf of, and promoting the “interests of,” sanctioned Chinese drone company DJI, which also is on the Commerce Department’s Entity List. Reps. John Moolenaar, R-Mich., and Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., said the alliance is “funded and maintained” by DJI, and may be violating filing requirements under the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
A bipartisan group of six senators introduced a bill last week that would sanction Georgian officials for passing “foreign agents” legislation that cracks down on civil society organizations and independent media outlets.
Rep. Sara Jacobs, D-Calif., introduced a bill May 22 that would prohibit U.S. arms sales to the United Arab Emirates until the Biden administration certifies that the UAE is no longer providing material support to Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas, said May 22 he's exploring possible legislation to sanction the International Criminal Court (ICC) for threatening to arrest two Israeli leaders.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee on May 22 approved bills that could expand controls on artificial intelligence exports and increase congressional oversight of arms transfers to Israel.
A bipartisan group of four lawmakers urged President Joe Biden to swiftly implement the recently enacted Rebuilding Economic Prosperity and Opportunity for Ukrainians (REPO) Act, which authorizes seizing frozen Russian central bank assets in the U.S. to help rebuild Ukraine (see 2401240069).