Reps. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Anna Luna, R-Fla., introduced a bill June 27 that would end U.S. sanctions on Syria to help the country rebuild following the collapse of the Bashar Assad regime.
Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., introduced a bill June 26 that would reauthorize the Federal Maritime Commission from FY 2026 to FY 2029 and give the agency several new tools to protect ocean shipping.
Reps. Young Kim, R-Calif., Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., and Madeleine Dean, D-Pa., introduced a bill June 27 aimed at improving defense trade within the Australia-U.K.-U.S. (AUKUS) security partnership, especially the technology development collaboration activities envisioned under Pillar II.
A former National Security Council official said June 26 that she believes the U.S. government is preparing to designate South Asia’s The Resistance Front (TRF) a terrorist group.
Five Senate Democrats, including Minority Whip Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, introduced a resolution June 26 urging the Trump administration to sanction Tunisian officials involved in political repression. Individual financial sanctions are among the penalties envisioned. The resolution says Tunisia has recently experienced democratic backsliding, including arrests of political opposition figures. It was referred to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
A bipartisan group of five House members, including House Financial Services Committee Chairman French Hill, R-Ark., reintroduced a bill June 26 to create a State Sponsor of Unlawful or Wrongful Detention (SSWD) designation, which would allow the State Department to impose sanctions, arms export restrictions and other penalties on countries that wrongfully detain Americans.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee voted 26-23 June 25 to approve a bill that would eliminate a requirement that the Energy Department authorize liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports, leaving the independent Federal Energy Regulatory Commission as the sole authority for the approval process (see 2503070048). The Unlocking Our Domestic LNG Potential Act now heads to the full House.
President Donald Trump’s comment June 24 that China can now buy Iranian oil despite U.S. sanctions (see 2506240049) drew mixed reactions on Capitol Hill.
Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., introduced a bill June 24 that would direct the executive branch to determine whether it should designate the Polisario Front as a foreign terrorist organization and sanction the Algeria-based paramilitary group.
Rep. Ann Wagner, R-Mo., reintroduced a bill June 25 that would impose property-blocking sanctions on foreign entities and individuals who undermine the 1995 peace agreement that ended the Bosnian War.