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.
The Senate confirmed Paul Dabbar (see 2505140066) to be deputy commerce secretary in a vote June 25, 56-40. Three Democrats and Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, who caucuses with the Democrats, supported his nomination. The role is essentially the chief of operations for the agency.
The House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee chairman, 44 other House Republicans and Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., urged the U.S. trade representative, agriculture secretary, commerce secretary and treasury secretary to get trade partners to end digital services taxes, improve import quotas and lower tariffs in these quick negotiations, all issues that they said "we cannot delay addressing."
Paulo Figueiredo, a Brazilian journalist living in Florida, urged the U.S. June 24 to impose Global Magnitsky Act sanctions on Brazilian judge and “de facto dictator” Alexandre de Moraes for persecuting political opponents and journalists.
Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, introduced a bill June 12 that would increase the congressional notification threshold for exports of firearms controlled under Category I of the U.S. Munitions List. The legislation would set the threshold at $4 million, up from $1 million, a level set in 1976. The bill was referred to the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
The House approved bills late June 23 dealing with anti-piracy sanctions and foreign investment in U.S. farmland.
House Select Committee on China Chairman Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Mich., called on the Trump administration June 23 to enforce a 2024 law that requires China’s ByteDance to sell TikTok or face a U.S. ban on the popular social media application.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee ranking member Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., a member of the committee, introduced a bill June 18 to repeal the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019.