The Treasury Department is seeking comments on an information collection related to foreign investment reviews by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., a notice released Aug. 28 said. The collection notes that Treasury recently introduced a new case management system to allow CFIUS filers to submit certain information online (see 2005180029). As of June 1, its use is now mandatory. Comments are due Sept. 30.
The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs began review of a proposed rule from the Bureau of Industry and Security related to its Strategic Trade Authorization (STA) license exception. The rule, which OIRA received Aug. 27, will clarify the “availability” and expand restrictions on availability of the license exception under the Export Administration Regulations.
U.S. exporters of pet food may benefit due to a significant increase in demand in East Asia, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service reported Aug. 25. USDA specifically pointed to China, which has seen a “significant rise” in household pets and removal of some trade barriers for imports of pet food as part of the phase one trade deal, “paving the way for a substantial increase in sales.” The USDA said exports of U.S. pet food to China from January through June increased 124% compared with the same period last year. The decreased trade restrictions “may present a unique opportunity to increase U.S. market share in the Chinese pet food market,” the USDA said.
The State Department approved potential military sales to the United Kingdom and Japan worth a combined $109 million, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said Aug. 26. Under the proposed sales, the U.K. would get 395 “AGM-114R2 Hellfire missiles” worth about $46 million. Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor. The sale to Japan includes 32 “AIM-120C-8 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles” at an estimated $63 million. Raytheon Missile Systems is the prime contractor.
The State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls will hold a webinar Sept. 9 on using the Defense Export Control Compliance System licensing application, DDTC said in an Aug. 27 notice, which includes login information. The webinar will outline best practices and tips for accessing licenses and include a question-and-answer session at the end. The DDTC previously released a recording of its February webinar (see 2002280028).
The Trump administration is granting $1 billion to create 12 new research and development institutes to study emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence and quantum information science. The funding -- announced by the White House, the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy -- includes $140 million over five years to seven NSF-led research institutes at U.S. universities, the White House said Aug. 26. The Energy Department will grant up to $625 million over five years to five national laboratories for the QIS centers, with $300 million in funding for them coming from universities and the private sector.
The Commerce Department’s recent restrictions against Huawei could “create substantial uncertainty and disruption” for the semiconductor supply chain, leading to lost sales and an eroding customer base for U.S.-origin goods, a semiconductor manufacturing industry group said Aug. 24. Semi asked Commerce to extend the deadline for the savings clause in its Aug. 17 rule and review licenses for non-5G items with “significant flexibility.”
Registration and licensing applications for the State Department’s Defense Export Control and Compliance System will be unavailable 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. EDT Aug. 24, an Aug. 20 notice said. The system will be down for scheduled maintenance, the State Department said, and users should save work in progress before the downtime commences.
The State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls issued a notice Aug. 19 to industry on payment methods in the Defense Export Control and Compliance System. New or renewal registrants must include the DDTC Account Number 1900000128 with their registration fee payment information when using the Automated Clearing House (ACH) debit payment method, DDTC said. The registrant “will experience a payment failure if the DDTC Account Number is not used,” the notice said.
An Aug. 20 Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, Department of Agriculture and Department of Commerce virtual hearing on import competition in seasonal produce will include testimony from two Florida and three Georgia members of Congress, a representative of the office of a third Florida Congress member, Farm Bureau executives, and vegetable and berry farmers. It will also include trade groups and a company that oppose restrictions on Mexican produce, among them the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas, the San Diego Customs Brokers Association, and milk and corn exporters. The hearing is the second of two that were originally scheduled to take place in Florida and Georgia in April.