The EU and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization members should sanction Iranian airlines and refuse airport access to Iranian aircraft, Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, said in a resolution introduced this week. Noting the U.S. has sanctions in place against Mahan Air, Iran Air, Saha Airlines, Qeshm Air and Qeshm Fars Air, Self said some of those airlines reportedly operate in at least 24 airports across Eurasia, including in NATO and EU countries.

Senate and House Democrats sent a letter to the Energy Department this week urging the agency to rethink its approval process for liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports. More than 60 lawmakers said they are concerned the agency’s approach doesn’t “fully or accurately consider how LNG exports negatively impact the climate, environmental justice communities, or increase domestic energy prices” and asked DOE to begin a rulemaking to update its permit review process.

The leaders of the Senate Finance Committee introduced a bill that would require USDA and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to produce annual reports identifying the acts, policies or practices that create significant barriers to exports of U.S. fruits and vegetables or distort their own markets so that U.S. fruits, vegetables, nuts and flowers cannot be competitive.

A new House bill with bipartisan support could expand the Treasury Department’s upcoming outbound investment prohibitions to cover more Chinese technology sectors and additional countries, including Russia, Iran and North Korea.

House Select Committee on China Republicans wrote to President Joe Biden, asking him to make human rights and military demands of Chinese President Xi Jinping when they meet at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, which will happen Nov. 15-17.

The State Department should clarify that the U.S. will reimpose a range of sanctions against Venezuela's oil and gold sectors if the Nicolas Maduro-led regime doesn’t begin lifting electoral bans on opposition presidential candidates by the end of November, Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, said in a letter to the agency this week.

Congress “must” move forward with a recently passed House bill that could lead to new sanctions on foreign ports and refineries that process or accept Iranian petroleum, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said. The House voted 342-69 to pass the Stop Harboring Iranian Petroleum Act last week (see 2311030066), and Rubio, who has introduced similar legislation in the Senate, said his chamber should do the same.

The top Democrat on the House Select Committee on China, Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois, said Wall Street and other investors want the government to provide a negative list they can hand off to their compliance teams.

The House on Nov. 3 passed a bill that could lead to new primary and secondary sanctions on foreign ports and refineries that process or accept petroleum exported from or originating in Iran. The Stop Harboring Iranian Petroleum Act, passed 342-69, could also lead to sanctions on any entity that “transports, offloads, or otherwise deals in petroleum originating in Iran, including vessels engaging in ship-to-ship transfers of petroleum,” according to a press release from Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., who introduced the bill alongside Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla.

The House on Nov. 1 voted 363-46 to pass a bill that would impose sanctions on any person, entity or state that offers financial or material support to Hamas and its affiliates. Along with financial sanctions, the bill calls on the president to block exports of any item on the U.S. Munitions List or Commerce Control List to any foreign state that provides support or “engages in a significant transaction” with Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, the Lion’s Den or “any affiliate or successor thereof.” The administration would also have to submit regular reports to Congress detailing the “disposition of the assets and activities” of those groups, a list of foreign states knowingly giving them support and more. The legislation includes certain exceptions, including for humanitarian aid.