Former chief agricultural negotiator for the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative Gregg Doud called for the use of the new enforcement mechanism in the USMCA during a House Agriculture Committee hearing May 11.
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., reintroduced a bill this week that could require the administration to report on foreign investment in the U.S. space industry. The Space Protection of American Command and Enterprise Act would mandate an interagency annual report to Congress on foreign investment in “U.S. space exploration, manufacturing, telecommunications, and national security, including the countries of origin, sources of funds” and other information. It would also require the White House’s National Space Council to report on “investment competition” -- specifically from China and Russia -- aimed at leapfrogging “American economic leadership in commercial space,” including through intellectual property theft.
The chairman of the powerful House Rules Committee used his perch to promote a bill he sponsored that would allow the president to lower duties on non-import-sensitive goods made by a country that lost exports due to coercive actions; increase duties on imports from the "foreign adversary" committing the coercion; and allow the U.S. to more easily facilitate trade, including exports, with the coerced parties (see 2302230021).
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.