A Turkey sanctions bill passed 403-16 on Oct. 29 in the House of Representatives, despite Turkey's decision to stop shelling a part of Syria near its border. The bill requires the government to impose financial sanctions on Halkbank, a Turkish-owned bank involved in Iranian sanctions evasions, which also employed a client of the president's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani.

The House is scheduled to mark up a bill on Oct. 29 that would reauthorize the Export-Import Bank until 2029, increase the bank’s lending authority and introduces a “temporary board” in a situation where the bank lacks a quorum in the future. The bill, introduced by House Financial Services Committee Chairwoman Maxine Waters, D-Calif., would also rename the bank the Export Finance Agency. Among the most notable portions of the bill is a provision that would increase the bank’s lending power gradually over several years, from $145 billion in 2020 to $175 billion in 2026.

President Donald Trump, speaking at a fracking conference in Pennsylvania, first said that Democrats don't want to put the NAFTA rewrite up for a vote, then said, "But I think they're going to put it up because everybody wants it, and I think ultimately, they're going to do the right thing."

Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, who served as the Republican party whip for five years until 2018, said he doesn't think the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act would come up this week. The most likely way for the Hong Kong bill to move that quickly would be to see if it could be subject to unanimous consent, which means a voice vote with no debate. Bringing up a bill in this way is to "hotline" it.

Although Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley represents Iowa, a major pork, corn and soybean exporting state, he's not concerned about the figures President Donald Trump touted as he described the outlines of a Phase 1 deal with China. Trump said China would be buying up to $50 billion in American commodities; other administration figures later clarified the promise was for $40 billion to $50 billion, and it would ramp up over two years.

The Congressional Research Service released a report Oct. 18 on with updates on U.S. sanctions on Turkey, Turkey’s military purchases from Russia, the potential for new sanctions and other possible U.S. options as Turkey’s military occupies northern Syria. The report details possible outcomes as Congress tries to impose its own set of sanctions on Turkey after the administration said it would lift sanctions in exchange for a ceasefire in Syria (see 1910180060).

Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., joined four House members in asking Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to look into possible Global Magnitsky sanctions against Kuwait. The Sept. 27 letter, posted by Crowell & Moring, asks Mnuchin to investigate Kuwait after the conviction and imprisonment of Maria Lazareva, a Russian businesswoman who was accused of embezzlement. Lazareva’s conviction was nullified by a Kuwait court after she served a year in prison.

The House plans to pass a “strong, bipartisan” sanctions package this week in response to the Trump administration's decision to lift sanctions on Turkey in exchange for a ceasefire in Syria, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said. Pelosi’s comments came after the Trump administration announced last week it would be suspending further sanctions on Turkey and plans to lift recently announced sanctions in exchange for the ceasefire.

Two stalwart Republican supporters of the president joined with three Democratic senators to say that Congress is united in a push to levy sanctions on Turkey for its invasion of Syria.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she's optimistic the administration and trading partners will be able to reach agreement on enforceability that will allow the House to proceed with a vote. Pelosi, speaking at a press conference Oct. 17, said the working group is "making progress every day." She also said that the agreement has to be respectful of global agreements on the environment, and she hopes the provisions on biologics can be resolved to the satisfaction of Democrats. "That's a very big issue in our caucus," she said.