A new House bill could lead to new sanctions against anyone involved in Iran’s missile or drone program, including buyers and sellers of the drones and those “importing or exporting any restricted missile or drone-related materiel to or from Iran.” The Fight Crime Act, which has bipartisan support, would also sanction people or entities that provide Iran “or its proxies” with products that “may contribute to the development of missiles or drones” or that participate “in joint missile or drone development with Iran or its proxies.”
Rep. John James, R-Mich., introduced a bill this month that could lead to more sanctions on supporters of Iran’s military forces. The legislation, which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs May 5, would sanction foreign people who “support or conduct certain transactions” with Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps or “other sanctioned persons.” The full text hasn’t yet been released.
A bipartisan group of lawmakers this week reintroduced a bill that could establish an outbound investment screening regime to prevent China and others from illegally acquiring sensitive U.S. technology.
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., claiming that Ford Motor Company is clearly subservient to the Chinese Communist Party, wrote to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, asking them to "expeditiously implement" outbound investment screening so that they can "hold Ford accountable for cooperating with human traffickers and slavers in advancing the PRC’s geopolitical strategy, to the detriment of American economic development and national security."
Israel should strengthen its foreign direct investment screening efforts to better protect its sensitive technologies, especially investments from China, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said, speaking May 1 before the Knesset, Israel’s parliament. He said he is “glad” Israel “has put into place a process to review foreign investors” but “strongly encourages Israel to further strengthen its oversight of foreign investment, particularly Chinese investment.”
Congress should amend shipping regulations to give the Federal Maritime Commission jurisdiction over certain fees assessed by railroads under ocean bills of lading, more than 70 trade groups, including the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America, said in a May 2 letter to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. The groups said those charges should be billed through the contracting carrier and be subject to demurrage and detention invoicing requirements that were included as part of the Ocean Shipping Reform Act.
Senate Republicans reintroduced a bill last week that could place more restrictions on scientific or research collaboration between U.S. and Chinese entities. The Preventing PLA Acquisition of United States Technology Act, which was first introduced in the Senate May a year ago and also will soon be introduced in the House, would block certain U.S. “covered” entities from working with any Chinese “entity of concern” in “any scientific research or technical exchange” relating to the development of technologies that China is prioritizing as part of its military-civil fusion strategy, the lawmakers said in a news release. The bill, which refers to the People’s Liberation Army, also would prevent partnerships between Chinese “entities of concern" and private American companies that receive federal funding.
A new House bill could allow the Federal Maritime Commission to block certain “anticompetitive” agreements between ocean carriers and marine terminal operators without first having to secure a federal court order. Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif., introduced the bill, called the Ocean Shipping Competition Enforcement Act, after FMC Commissioners Max Vekich and Carl Bentzel asked him to “make this critical change in federal law,” Garamendi said.
A letter signed by all the freshmen Democrats in the House of Representatives lauds President Joe Biden's new stance on trade.
Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., said companies should make sure they comply with national security-related trade restrictions following the Bureau of Industry and Security's record $300 million fine against Seagate Technology for violating export controls against Huawei (see 2304190071). “Our national security interests are being threatened by Communist China, and companies need to take this situation seriously by following the law,” said Wicker, who led Senate Republicans two years ago in producing a report that urged BIS to penalize Seagate for violating the controls (see 2110260040).