Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Ben Cardin, D-Md., House Foreign Affairs Committee ranking member Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., and four other lawmakers asked the Government Accountability Office in a Dec. 18 letter to study whether U.S. agencies need additional sanctions authorities to go after illegal mining or other foreign environmental crimes committed by transnational criminal organizations (TCOs). The letter says that illegal mining of metals and minerals is booming in the Western Hemisphere and is harming the environment while enriching TCOs. Sens. Bill Cassidy, R-La., and Tim Kaine, D-Va., and Reps. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, and Maria Salazar, R-Fla., also signed the letter.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will gain six new Republican members in January, incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., announced Dec. 20.

A bipartisan, bicameral bill would create a Maritime Security Trust Fund, into which revenues would come from tonnage fees on Chinese-owned and Chinese-flagged ships visiting U.S. ports, special tonnage taxes, light money, and tariffs and duties, including Section 301 tariffs.

Sens. Tim Kaine, D-Va., and Bill Cassidy, R-La., introduced a bill Dec. 17 to authorize the president to sanction foreign persons and vessels involved in illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Ben Cardin, D-Md., and Sens. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and Jack Reed, D-R.I., introduced a bill Dec. 17 to sanction foreign persons that undermine Lebanon’s democratic institutions and processes. The bill also would codify sanctions imposed under executive order 13441 against those who undermine Lebanon’s sovereignty and democratic institutions. The bill, which has a wide range of other Lebanon provisions, is meant to strengthen the Middle Eastern country as it seeks to rebound from the recent war on its territory between Hezbollah and Israel. It was referred to Cardin’s committee.

A bipartisan group of six senators urged the Biden administration Dec. 17 to sanction foreign entities involved in illegally smuggling gold from Sudan to the United Arab Emirates and other countries.

The Biden administration said this week it has received assurances that the United Arab Emirates has ended weapons transfers to Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia group, meeting a key demand of U.S. lawmakers who had threatened to oppose an arms sale to the UAE over its RSF support.

Lawmakers unveiled a new continuing resolution late Dec. 19 that doesn't include the outbound investment restrictions and export control and sanctions provisions that an earlier version contained (see 2412180034).

The House Select Committee on China’s fentanyl policy working group unveiled three bipartisan bills Dec. 17 to counter China’s role as the world’s leading supplier of precursor chemicals for fentanyl.

Several lawmakers have urged the Biden administration to ease sanctions on Syria in light of the overthrow of the Assad regime by rebel forces.