Democratic Sens. Dick Durbin of Illinois and Tim Kaine of Virginia announced Jan. 9 that they plan to oppose a provision in the Biden administration’s fiscal year 2024 supplemental appropriations request that would waive congressional oversight requirements for U.S. funding provided to Israel under the Foreign Military Financing program.
Marc Selinger
Marc Selinger, Assistant Editor, is the congressional reporter for Export Compliance Daily, which he joined in December 2023. He previously wrote for a variety of defense publications, highlights of which included covering the Paris and Farnborough (UK) air shows and touring the Israeli defense industry. His first full-time journalism job involved reporting on local government, schools and police news for a community newspaper in Michigan. He is on X at @marcselinger and on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/marc-selinger-315089173/.
The Senate Banking Committee held a hearing Jan. 11 to renew its push for congressional passage of the Fentanyl Eradication and Narcotics Deterrence (FEND) Off Fentanyl Act, which would use sanctions and anti-money laundering measures to counter the illicit fentanyl supply chain that is blamed for tens of thousands of American deaths annually.
The Commerce Department plans to announce a “department-wide” strategy in the “weeks ahead” that will address its major priorities in national security, Deputy Commerce Secretary Don Graves said on Jan. 9.
Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., chairman of the House Select Committee on China, has urged the Commerce Department to consider placing the United Arab Emirates-based artificial intelligence firm Group 42 Holdings (G42) on the Bureau of Industry and Security’s Entity List, citing possible export control risks from the company’s work with China’s military, intelligence services and state-owned companies.
The Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network should do a better job informing small businesses about its new beneficial ownership information reporting requirements (see 2401050023), Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-Mo., said in a Jan. 5 press release.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas, urged the Biden administration to reinstate the Houthis’ designation as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, citing the Yemen-based group’s recent attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea.
A congressional proposal to allow the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. to reopen or alter previously mitigated transactions when national security risks have increased would discourage foreign investment in the United States, an expert at the Center for a New American Security said in written comments posted Jan. 4.
Rep. Nydia Velazquez, D-N.Y., has introduced a resolution aimed at improving U.S. relations with Latin America, including by ending all unilateral economic sanctions imposed on the region by executive order.
The leaders of the House Select Committee on China urged the Defense and Treasury departments on Jan. 4 to blacklist China-based Quectel Wireless Solutions, saying the manufacturer of Internet connectivity modules has troubling ties to the Chinese military.
The Commerce Department announced on Jan. 4 that it has agreed to provide about $162 million to Microchip Technology under the Chips Act to nearly triple semiconductor production at the company’s facilities in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Gresham, Oregon.