Senate Democrats Seek to Return Gun Export Oversight to State Dept.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Ben Cardin, D-Md., and three other Democratic senators plan to introduce a bill to transfer authority over small arms exports from the Commerce Department back to the State Department, Cardin’s office announced June 21. The legislation is intended to stem the flow of U.S.-made weapons to drug cartels, gangs and other violent groups across the Western Hemisphere. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, introduced a similar bill last year (see 2312080066). The Trump administration transferred small arms export authority from State to Commerce in 2020 (see 2001170030).