U.S. trade representative nominee Katherine Tai said that despite the president's prioritizing of the domestic economy, “I don't expect, if confirmed, to be put on the back burner at all.” Tai, a veteran of the House Ways and Means Committee trade staff, faced largely friendly questioning over a more-than-three-hour hearing in the Senate Finance Committee on Feb. 25.
President Joe Biden signed an executive order Feb. 24 to address supply chain shortages of semiconductor chips, personal protective equipment, medicine and other critical goods. The order calls for a 100-day review of U.S. supply chains to pinpoint “vulnerabilities” impacting a range of goods, including certain pharmaceutical products, critical minerals such as rare earths, semiconductors and large-capacity batteries. The order also calls for a one-year review that will examine issues in a broader set of U.S. supply chains, including those impacting the defense industrial base, the public health base, the information and communications technology sector base, the energy sector industrial base, the transportation industrial base and the agricultural sector.
The Senate on Feb. 23 voted 78-20 to confirm Linda Thomas-Greenfield as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. During a January confirmation hearing, Thomas-Greenfield said she supports sanctions against China for human rights violations, vowed to counter China’s takeover of leadership positions at international standards-setting bodies, and said she will support U.S. arms sales to Taiwan (see 2101270053).
The State Department approved a potential military sale to Finland worth about $91.2 million, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said Feb. 17. The sale includes “Extended Range Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems” and related equipment. The principal contractor will be Lockheed Martin Corporation, Missile and Fire Control.
The State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls’ Defense Export Control and Compliance System will be unavailable 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. EST Feb. 22 for maintenance, DDTC said. DDTC is encouraging users to make sure their work in progress is saved before the scheduled maintenance.
A broad coalition of trade associations including representatives from the semiconductor manufacturing industry wrote a letter Feb. 18 to President Joe Biden urging him to back the funding for the crucial technology authorized in the CHIPS for America Act in the fiscal year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act. The letter made the groups' case for greater funding for semiconductors and called for an investment tax credit in the upcoming infrastructure and economic recovery proposal. Notable signatories to the letter include the National Association of Manufacturers, SEMI and the Semiconductor Industry Association, as well as the Information Technology Industry Council and the Alliance for Automotive Innovation.
Although President Joe Biden told a Feb. 16 CNN town hall that there will be more “repercussions” for China’s human rights violations in the Xinjiang region, the White House declined to say whether that includes more sanctions. “As it relates to our policy toward China, we are not in a rush,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Feb. 17. Psaki said Biden is “focused on communicating and working with our partners and allies around the world” and has had a “number of conversations” with European allies about potential next steps. “There's an ongoing policy process and I don't have anything to preview,” Psaki said.
The State Department approved a potential military sale to Egypt worth about $197 million, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said Feb. 16. The sale includes “Rolling Airframe Missiles (RAM) Block 2 Tactical Missiles” and related equipment. The principal contractor will be Raytheon Missiles & Defense.
The State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls on Feb. 17 released its notifications to Congress of recently proposed export licenses. The 34 notifications, from July through September, feature arms sales to numerous countries including the United Kingdom, Israel, Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy and Pakistan.
The State Department approved a potential military sale to Jordan worth about $60 million, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said Feb. 11. The sale includes an “F-16 Air Combat Training Center” and related equipment. The principal contractor will be Lockheed Martin Rotary & Mission Systems.