The House Foreign Affairs Committee on June 20 advanced a bill that would impose sanctions on Burmese officials and military-owned entities, for human rights abuses. The bill, named the Burma Act of 2019, would also sanction current and former senior officials of the Burmese military -- and any entities they own -- who took “significant steps to impede investigations or prosecutions of alleged serious human rights abuses.” The bill would also sanction entities, such as the Myanmar Economic Cooperation or the Myanmar Economic Holding Corporation, that are controlled by Burmese security forces. The sanctions would take effect for an eight-year period beginning 270 days after the bill is enacted. The bill next heads to the House floor.

Senators on June 20 voted to block the sale of billions of dollars worth of arms to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates after weeks of criticism from bipartisan members of Congress. The sale, originally announced by the Trump administration on May 24, used an emergency provision in the Arms Export Control Act to allow the State Department to bypass congressional approval and certify 22 arms transfers to the Middle East. But Democratic and Republican members in both the House and Senate criticized the move, saying it was a misuse of executive power (see 1906120066).

A Senate bill introduced June 13 with bipartisan support would require the Trump administration to submit reports to Congress on whether Hong Kong is following U.S. export control laws and sanctions. The requirement, part of a bill that would amend the Hong Kong Policy Act of 1992, would order the Treasury, State and Commerce secretaries to send several House and Senate committees a report on whether Hong Kong has enforced U.S. export controls with respect to “sensitive dual-use items” and abided by both U.S. and United Nations sanctions. The administration would need to submit the reports within 180 days after the enactment of the bill, which was introduced by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, who's been working for months on a compromise bill to address national security tariffs, said that an introduction won't happen until after the August recess. "We're trying to get a consensus on [Section] 232s, that isn't the easiest thing," he said. "But we're making some progress." He said, speaking to reporters on June 19, that he'd had meetings on the bill that day.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said it is “deeply concerning” that the White House is seeking a two-year delay on implementing government contracting and procurement-related restrictions on Huawei Technologies, saying the delay would “extend a window of opportunity for what is already a dire threat to our national security.” Speaking on the Senate floor on June 11, Schumer criticized what he said is the Trump administration's contradictory approach to China.

The U.S. Small Business Administration's State Trade Expansion Program has been mostly effective, business owners and trade industry leaders said during a House Small Business subcommittee panel on June 11, helping them export to international markets and expand their businesses. But the panelists also advocated for changes, such as a reduction in the “administrative burden” caused by the program. The discussion came as Congress prepares to reauthorize the program, which was created by the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 and which provides grants to states to increase exporting opportunities for small businesses.

The Department of Commerce should develop a strategy to expand the export market for recycled materials, Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., said in a letter to other lawmakers seeking their support on May 24. Takano said China’s decision to accept “less than one percent of America’s recyclable goods” -- along with more than “180 countries moving to increase regulations on waste exports” -- presents an “economic opportunity” for the U.S., if Commerce develops a plan and uses it for the country's benefit. Takano called for Commerce to “stimulate the development of markets for recycled materials and encourage the development of new uses for these materials,” as required under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.

If the new NAFTA passes in the House, "I don't think there's any question but it's going to pass the Senate," Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said May 23. He leads the Senate Finance Committee, which is responsible for moving the trade treaty in that body. He also said he thinks it will be difficult for the ratification in the House to be done before the August recess.

Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., in a speech on the Senate floor May 21, said he hopes that the administration does not repeat with Huawei what it did with ZTE, "where we stood tough at the beginning, it had an effect, and then we backed off."

The U.S. should impose sanctions and limit weapons shipments from countries and companies that contribute to terrorism and conflict in Libya, panelists said at a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee hearing on May 15. The Subcommittee on the Middle East, North Africa, and International Terrorism sought testimony on "The Conflict in Libya."