Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said Nov. 4 that he doesn't know when lawmakers will take up his Nigeria sanctions bill but that he "would like to see it moved sooner rather than later." Cruz said he’s unaware of any opposition to his legislation, which aims to address religious persecution, including the alleged mass killing of Christians.
Reps. Andy Barr, R-Ky., and Jefferson Shreve, R-Ind., both members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, urged the Treasury Department Nov. 3 to designate the Palestinian Conference for Palestinians Abroad (PCPA) a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, citing the group’s ties to Hamas.
A bipartisan group of six senators said Oct. 30 that the U.S. should consider designating Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) a Foreign Terrorist Organization or a Specially Designated Global Terrorist following the militia’s mass killing of civilians in the city of El Fasher.
The Democratic minority on the House Select Committee on China said in a new report Nov. 4 that the U.S. and its allies should strengthen their export controls to prevent China from using their technology for repression.
Rep. Ben Cline, R-Va., on Oct. 31 introduced a companion to a Senate bill aimed at ensuring that the Bureau of Industry and Security and the State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls can continue processing license applications for firearms exports during a lapse in government appropriations (see 2510310048). Cline’s measure was referred to the House Judiciary and Foreign Affairs committees.
Senate Banking Committee ranking member Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., urged Bryce McFerran to resign from his position as acting chief banking officer at the U.S. Export-Import Bank because of his ties to Russian metals and mining company Evraz, which the U.K. sanctioned in 2022 for conducting railway work that supports Russia’s military.
Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, urged the State Department Oct. 30 to designate three Colombian criminal groups Foreign Terrorist Organizations.
Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, introduced a bill Oct. 30 that seeks to ensure that the Bureau of Industry and Security and the State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls can continue processing license applications for firearms exports during a lapse in government appropriations. The Firearm Access During Shutdowns Act, which also would apply to federal agencies that handle domestic sales, was referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Three Republican senators introduced a bill Oct. 30 that would allow the president to sanction Chinese entities that manufacture, distribute or finance the production of nitazene precursor chemicals.
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., urged the Commerce Department on Oct. 30 to support Malaysia’s new efforts to prevent the country from being used to smuggle export-controlled U.S. chips to China.