The new fast-track pilot program of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. appears to be open to only a very small number of investors, and the Treasury Department may not be ready to deploy it more broadly until next year, a former senior U.S. official said last week.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved several sanctions-related bills Jan. 29, including one aimed at Russia’s “shadow fleet” of tankers.
The EU’s plans to increase defense spending over the next several years could be hampered by burdensome export rules under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, a senior EU diplomat said this week.
House Select Committee on China Chairman John Moolenaar, R-Mich., urged the Commerce Department to ensure that any H200 AI chips that Nvidia is allowed to sell to China are not used to modernize China’s military.
Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, urged Arizona-based Rogers Corp. Jan. 27 to do more to prevent its electronic components from ending up in Russia's hands.
The U.S. is preparing to issue sanctions licenses for companies to seek business opportunities in Venezuela, including in the country's oil sector, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers this week.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., said Jan. 28 that he’s exploring “different options,” including legislation, to address his concerns about the Trump administration’s decision to suspend the Bureau of Industry and Security’s Affiliates Rule for a year.
Rep. Maria Salazar, R-Fla., who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, praised Estonia Jan. 27 for abstaining on the latest U.N. resolution urging the U.S. to end its trade embargo against Cuba (see 2510310029). The Baltic country supported the annual measure in the past.
Two senior members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee urged Congress Jan. 27 to pass legislation to limit exports of advanced chips to China and expedite defense exports to Taiwan.
Bernd Lange, the leader of the trade committee in the European Parliament, posted Jan. 26 on X that the committee didn't make a decision on resuming discussions about lowering tariffs on U.S. exports. A bill that would reduce U.S. tariffs and offer more generous tariff rate quotas was paused because of President Donald Trump's threats to hike tariffs on European countries that oppose a U.S. takeover of Greenland.