Policy Briefs

Export practitioners and regulators were called to the hill in recent weeks to explain to lawmakers what was being done and what could be improved.  BIS and Treasury Officials fielded queries in the Senate, while an oversight committee in the House invited former Commerce officials to discuss what could be done better.

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) and the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) of the U.S. Department of Commerce have issued a supplemental joint alert urging financial institutions …

Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Polite Jr. , head of the Department of Justice's (DOJ) criminal division, reports an increase in corporate disclosures following the implementation of new …

In their Joint Statment, members of the US - EU Trade and Technology Council expressed support for the ongoing sanctions activities, export and investment controls:

The United States was the world's largest services market and was the top exporter and importer of services in 2021, according to a new report released by the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC).  Preliminary data for 2022 indicate an increase of 15.9 percent in total services exports compared to the previous year.

Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, Bonnie D. Jenkins, is set to travel to the Republic of Korea (ROK) from May 29 to June 2, to continue the United States' …

The House Energy and Commerce Committee, under the leadership of Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), advanced H.R. 1042, the Prohibiting Russian Uranium Imports Act, in a markup session on Thursday. The bill, introduced last month by Rodgers and Rep. Bob Latta (R-OH), Chair of the E&C Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, seeks to ban fuel imports from Russia in a bid to decrease America's dependence on Russian nuclear fuels.

The time has come to “take off the golden blindfolds and open our eyes to the risks in China,” the head of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party declared at an evening hearing May 17. Committee Chairman Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wisc) said that while a total economic decoupling from China is not possible, his panel will come up with policy recommendations for a “strategic derisking.”

A bipartisan group of House lawmakers have reintroduced legislation that would require the federal government to screen US outbound investments to countries like China and Russia. The National …

The leaders of the House Foreign Affairs Committee introduced legislation Tuesday to impose sanctions on activities supporting Iran’s missile and drone program ahead of the October expiration of the United Nations missile ban on Iran.

The US Export-Import Bank’s Board of Directors voted yesterday to approve two transactions totaling nearly $600 million in the transportation and energy sectors, subsidizing supplier finance for the Boeing Company and a controls upgrade at an Indonesian oil refinery.

Two Senate Republicans have introduced legislation to speed up the process for by exporting US defense, dual-use and other controlled items and technology to the United Kingdom and Australia.

The U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) is seeking stakeholder input to integrate climate adaptation and resilience into its programming across priority sectors. The agency's goal is to support …

The Biden administration's trade policies, such as the proposed Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), have drawn criticism from progressive trade advocates for containing measures reminiscent of the neoliberal free-trade era, despite the “worker-centric” verbiage.   A dynamic of “regulatory capture” has been identified, with tech lobbyists influencing trade negotiators to prioritize industry interests.

A group of lawmakers has written to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Ambassador Katherine Tai, expressing concerns over the Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) system present in the United States' trade and investment agreements with foreign nations. The letter, signed by several senators and members of Congress, highlights the potential exploitation of this dispute settlement regime by large corporations, which they argue undermines democracy and favors corporate interests over those of workers, consumers, and small businesses worldwide.

The G7 Enforcement Coordination Mechanism met on Wednesday to discuss ways to tighten the sanctions and export controls against Russia.  Action items were prepared for consideration by G7 Leadership during next mont's summit in Canada.

The Timber Interdiction Membership Board and Enforcement Resource (TIMBER) Working Group, a new interagency collaboration, was announced at the TIMBER Trafficking Enforcement Roundtable April 19.

World military spending grew for the eighth consecutive year in 2022, reaching a new high of $2240 billion, according to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). The top three spenders, the United States, China, and Russia, accounted for 56% of the global total.

The Justice Department has secured a settlement agreement with Micron Technology Inc. a manufacturer of semiconductor memory and storage products based in Boise, Idaho. The settlement resolves the department’s determination that Micron violated the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) by discriminating against a U.S. citizen when it failed to hire him for a position and instead hired a temporary visa worker.

The United States Trade Representative (USTR) has released the 2023 Special 301 Report on the adequacy and effectiveness of U.S. trading partners’ intellectual property (IP) rights protection …

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 56 | Next »
Currently viewing stories posted within the past 2 years.
For all older stories, please use our advanced search.