The Export Import Bank of the US (Exim) didn't miss a beat in the transition to a new Presidential administration, announcing interim leadership and confirming the Bank's 2025 Annual Conference will be held April 29 & 30 in Washington. Immediately following the President's inauguration, the first three senior members of the bank's “Beachhead Team” – David Slade, José Cunningham, and Bryce McFerran – were sworn as Senior Counselor and Senior Advisors, respectively. Board Member and former Alabama Congressman Spencer Bachus III, stepped in as Interim President and Chair of the EXIM Board of Directors. The President and Chair, First Vice President and Vice Chair, and another Director position are currently vacant, along with the US Trade Representative and Secretary of Commerce, who serve ex-officio.
The opening salvo of the Administration's trade war turned out not to be against Canada, Mexico or European allies, rather a temporary cancellation of Valentine's Day in retaliation for a perceived snub by the President of Colombia. Sunday, President Trump announced 25 percent tariffs on all Colombian products after Colombian President Gustavo Petro turned away two US military aircraft carrying migrants being sent back to Colombia as part of Mr. Trump’s immigration crackdown. After Mr. Petro provided his presidential aircraft for a "dignified" repatriation, Mr. Trump backed down.
In one of his first official acts, President Trump issued a memorandum effectively withdrawing the United States from the global corporate minimum tax deal negotiated through the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The 15 percent minimum tax, agreed upon in 2021, had not been implemented in U.S. law.
In one of his first official acts, President Trump issued a memorandum effectively withdrawing the United States from the global corporate minimum tax deal negotiated through the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The 15 percent minimum tax, agreed upon in 2021, had not been implemented in U.S. law. February 4th UN member states launched separate negotiations on a global tax accord seeking to tackle in particular evasion by wealthy individuals and businesses, but the United States promptly quit the talks.
President Trump is threatening Russia with taxes, tariffs and sanctions if Russian President Putin does not come to the table to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine. On the campaign trail, Mr. Trump said he would end the war in his first day in office, though Russian President Putin has shown little interest in negotiating a cease fire.
The State Department released an update on the prior year's arms trade, with Foreign Military Sales at their highest levels in history and Direct Commercial Sales up smartly from the prior period. In FY2024 the total value of transferred defense articles and services and security cooperation activities conducted under the Foreign Military Sales system was $117.9 billion. This represents a 45.7% increase, up from $80.9 billion in FY2023.
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office invites public comments and testimony on whether the U.S. should sign and implement the Treaty on Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources, and Associated Traditional Knowledge. The treaty addresses IP issues concerning genetic resources (GRs), traditional knowledge (TK), and traditional cultural expressions (TCEs). Article 3 mandates patent applicants disclose the origin or source of GRs or TK when a claimed invention depends on their specific properties.
The Justice Department announced the indictment of five men for their involvement in a "laptop farming" scheme which involved obtaining remote IT work with US companies to generate revenue for the North Korean Government (DPRK). According to the indictment, the defendants used forged and stolen identity documents, including U.S. passports containing the stolen personally identifiable information of a U.S. person, to conceal the true identities of North Korean co-conspirators, so that these North Korean nationals could circumvent sanctions and other laws to obtain employment with U.S. companies.
The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) will hold the 2025 Update Conference on Export Controls and Policy from Tuesday, March 18 through Thursday, March 20 at the Washington Hilton hotel in Washington, D.C. This 37th annual conference will be offered in-person only, for two and a half days, with an evening reception. The registration fee will be $1,750. Sessions will include keynote speakers, plenaries, breakout sessions, and live Q&A with BIS and other agency experts. Specific details and agenda to come.
Among his Day One actions, President Trump rescinded 60 Executive Orders and eight Memoranda from the prior administration, instructing agency heads to "take immediate steps to end Federal implementation of unlawful and radical DEI ideology." Below some of the relevant Trade and Security Related Orders, followed by a link to the complete list.
His first day back at the Resolute desk, President Trump issued an executive order outlining the administration’s “America First” trade policy. The memorandum, addressed to senior officials across multiple federal agencies, sets a comprehensive agenda for addressing trade imbalances, unfair practices, and national security concerns tied to international commerce, with much of the review and reporting due April 1st, or ten weeks from the date of the Order.
Rep. Gregory W. Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, reintroduced two pivotal pieces of legislation aimed at reinforcing sanctions against Russian aggression and U.S. support for Ukraine's sovereignty and safety. The "Sanction Russian Nuclear Safety Violators Act of 2025" (H.R. 475) would: Target individuals and entities who endanger the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Europe's largest nuclear facility. Russian forces have occupied the site since 2022, raising grave concerns about the plant's stability and Rosatom's involvement. The January 15 sanctions package announced by OFAC included these measures. The "No Russian Tunnel to Crimea Act" (H.R. 476) would impose sanctions on any foreign actor who knowingly supports the construction, maintenance, or repair of tunnels or bridges connecting the Russian mainland to Crimea.
In a unanimous ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court Friday upheld a law requiring ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, to sell the app by January 19, 2025, citing national security concerns over data collection and links to China. If ByteDance fails to divest, service providers like Apple and Google must block TikTok updates, effectively disabling the app. TikTok currently has 170 million U.S. users, with a sale potentially valued at $40–$50 billion, according to CFRA Research.
It looks as though President Trump's Cabinet will be confirmed as nominated, with the exception of course of Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz, currently the subject of disciplinary proceedings by the Florida Bar. Pam Bondi, Howard Lutnick and Scott Bessent appear to be tracking to confirmation, although Lutnick's confirmation paperwork is reportedly incomplete, creating a delay. During his Senate confirmation hearing, Sen. Marco Rubio, the President's nominee for Secretary of State, called for the continuation and potential expansion of sanctions, particularly targeting the energy sector, to pressure Moscow over its activities in Ukraine.
OFAC is sanctioning Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan (Burhan), the leader of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), under Executive Order (E.O.) 14098, “Imposing Sanctions on Certain Persons Destabilizing Sudan and Undermining the Goal of a Democratic Transition.” This action follows the designation of the leader of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Mohammad Hamdan Daglo Mousa , on January 7, 202 .[13310]. In addition, OFAC is sanctioning one company and one individual involved in weapons procurement on behalf of the Defense Industries System (DIS), a procurement arm of the SAF that OFAC sanctioned in June 2023.
The United States today designated eight individuals who organized and executed the commemoration of Republika Srpska (RS) Day on January 8-10, 2024 in support of RS President Milorad Dodik’s secessionist agenda. Seven of those sanctioned today also helped plan and organize the 2025 commemoration. RS commemorations have been determined to be unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court. Directed and overseen by Dodik, they are emblematic of Dodik’s longstanding efforts to undermine the 1995 Dayton Peace Agreement, a cornerstone for regional peace and security.
In cooperation with the Vatican, the Biden Administration made several meaningful diplomatic concessions in a negotiation for the release of political prisoners by the Havana regime. "We are taking several steps to support the Cuban people as part of an understanding with the Catholic Church under the leadership of Pope Francis and improve the livelihood of Cubans," said Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. Cuba has announced that it will release from prison 553 people “convicted of various crimes.
The U.S. Trade Representative has issued findings in the Section 301 investigation of the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) targeting the maritime, logistics, and shipbuilding sectors for dominance, concluding that the PRC’s targeted dominance in these sectors is unreasonable and burdens or restricts U.S. commerce, and is therefore “actionable” under Section 301. As the petitioner U.S. unions have highlighted, the entrenchment of the PRC’s dominance means that U.S. international trade is “carried out on vessels made in China, financed by state-owned Chinese institutions, owned by Chinese shipping companies, and reliant on a global maritime and logistics infrastructure increasingly dominated by China.”
The Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security and the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control imposed approximately $2.5 million in combined civil penalties against a California machine tool builder for permitting authorized distributors to sell equipment and repair parts to sanctioned entities in China and Russia, “Today’s coordinated resolution with OFAC demonstrates our resolve to hold accountable companies that do not put in place effective compliance programs to prevent exports to Entity Listed companies,” said Acting Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement Kevin J. Kurland.
The Department of State amends the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) to remove from the U.S. Munitions List (USML) items that no longer warrant inclusion, add to the USML items that warrant inclusion, and clarify certain entries. With these amendments, the Department also supersedes and thus terminates the temporary modification to USML Category VIII that was published on December 4, 2023, and extended on November 26, 2024.