Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., has proposed that CBP be given the authority to exclude from entry into the U.S. any articles produced by a foreign firm that misappropriated a trade secret, when that theft has been proven by either a court or the International Trade Commission, under Section 337. The amendment, published May 24 in the Congressional Record, notes that the Section 337 process may not provide complete relief "because the foreign person has used or is reasonably likely to use the misappropriated trade secret in the home country of the foreign person or a third country."
Republican Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida and John Cornyn of Texas introduced a bill to bolster the ability of U.S. foreign investment reviews to cover genetic information. The Genomics Expenditures and National Security Enhancement Act would require mandatory filings to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. for “any deal” that involves a company working with genetic information, Rubio said May 20. Under the bill, CFIUS would be required to consult with the Department of Health and Human Services on any deal that involves a “genetic data transaction,” which would increase “cross-agency awareness” of these transactions. The bill would also require CFIUS to include the Senate’s Select Committee on Intelligence and the Foreign Relations Committee in its briefings.
Seventeen House Republicans introduced a resolution that opposes removing sanctions on a company and executive connected to the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., on May 20 introduced the resolution, which is not binding on the administration, even if it were to pass both chambers. Republicans have been publicly criticizing the decision (see 2105200055).
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and 14 colleagues introduced a joint resolution to halt a recently notified sale of weapons to Israel. "For decades, the U.S. has sold billions of dollars in weaponry to Israel without ever requiring them to respect basic Palestinian rights. In so doing, we have directly contributed to the death, displacement and disenfranchisement of millions,” she said in a press release announcing the resolution.
Eight House members, four Democrats and four Republicans, wrote to U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai that five months of consultations is more than enough, and it's time to push for a binding resolution to the administration of dairy tariff rate quotas in Canada. Under the USMCA, the next steps could be Canada and the U.S. agreeing to conciliation or mediation, or the U.S. could call for a dispute settlement panel. Reps. Ron Kind, D-Wis.; Tom Reed, R-N.Y.; Antonio Delgado, D-N.Y.; Glenn Thompson, R-Pa.; Suzan DelBene, D-Wash.; Dusty Johnson, R-S.D.; Jim Costa, D-Calif.; and David Valadao, R-Calif., sent the letter May 21, and in it noted that Canada reserves part of its quotas for processors in Canada, a factor that undermines the ability of American dairy exporters to use the TRQs.
No date has been scheduled yet for a vote on the China package championed by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., but lengthy amendments from senators are continuing to flow in, many with trade implications.
Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, says there is the potential for a bipartisan consensus on a strategy to compete with China. Romney, who was speaking at a U.S. Chamber of Commerce program May 19, said the two parties are more united than they were two years ago, as they recognize China's threat to liberal democracies. He said that "China’s rise is the result really of their economic resources, and those are resources that are built in part through predatory practices, particularly subsidized or predatory pricing which allows them to put western businesses out of business...."
A group of Democratic senators asked President Joe Biden to do more to end the Saudi blockade of humanitarian goods into Yemen, saying it is preventing food, medicine and fuel imports into the country. The senators, including Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Patrick Leahy of Vermont, said in a May 19 letter that Biden should use “diplomatic and economic leverage” to force Saudi Arabia to end the blockade. The U.S. should demand that Saudi Arabia allow delivery of food, fuel and other humanitarian aid through the Hodeidah port, the senators said. “Failure to provide such access should have a direct impact on our relationship with Saudi Arabia, to include pending weapons sales, military cooperation, the provision of maintenance for war planes and spare parts, as well as U.S.-Saudi ties more broadly,” the letter said. “The current commercial fuel import standoff must end today and be decoupled from ongoing negotiations.”
The Senate’s China competition bill will now include legislation introduced by two senators earlier this year aimed at securing U.S. leadership in emerging technologies. Sens. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., and Roy Blunt, R-Mo., said their National Strategy to Ensure American Leadership Act will be included in the Endless Frontier Act, which is expected to see a vote before the Senate soon (see 2105130025). The two senators’ original bill called for the Commerce Department to work with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine to identify the 10 most critical emerging technology challenges facing the U.S. and recommend steps to ensure U.S. leadership in those technologies. Commerce is in the middle of crafting a series of export controls over emerging and foundational technologies (see 2105040063 and 2103190037).
Three senators reintroduced legislation May 20 that would lift a Cuba trade embargo to eliminate business barriers between the two countries and boost U.S. exports to the island. The Freedom to Export to Cuba Act wouldn’t repeal trade restrictions surrounding human rights violations but would eliminate “key provisions of previous laws that block” U.S. exports to Cuba, a news release said. Sens. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.; Jerry Moran, R-Kan.; and Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., are the sponsors.