Rep. Sara Jacobs, D-Calif., introduced a bill May 22 that would prohibit U.S. arms sales to the United Arab Emirates until the Biden administration certifies that the UAE is no longer providing material support to Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas, said May 22 he's exploring possible legislation to sanction the International Criminal Court (ICC) for threatening to arrest two Israeli leaders.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee on May 22 approved bills that could expand controls on artificial intelligence exports and increase congressional oversight of arms transfers to Israel.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on May 21 defended the U.S. government's use of sanctions against China, saying the Biden administration resorts to punitive measures only when diplomatic efforts fail to achieve the desired result.

A bipartisan group of four lawmakers urged President Joe Biden to swiftly implement the recently enacted Rebuilding Economic Prosperity and Opportunity for Ukrainians (REPO) Act, which authorizes seizing frozen Russian central bank assets in the U.S. to help rebuild Ukraine (see 2401240069).

The House Foreign Affairs Committee this week plans to mark up a bill that is intended to help the Bureau of Industry and Security control exports of artificial intelligence systems and other new national security-related technologies (see 2405100063).

The farm bill that the House Agriculture Committee plans to mark up May 23 contains several foreign investment-related provisions, including a requirement that the Agriculture Department enter into a formal agreement with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. to ensure the two agencies share information on foreign transactions in a timely manner.

Three Senate committee chairs urged the Biden administration last week to continue enforcing a new executive order that allows the U.S. to sanction "foreign persons" responsible for increased violence in the West Bank (see 2402010053).

The House Foreign Affairs Committee on May 16 approved several bills that could impose sanctions on China, Russia and the Houthis and tighten export controls on China.

The House of Representatives voted 224-187 on May 16 to pass a bill that would require the Biden administration to stop holding up shipments of approved offensive weapons to Israel (see 2405130028). Proponents said the Israel Security Assistance Support Act would ensure Israel can defend itself against Hamas and other threats. However, the legislation faces an uphill fight in the Democrat-led Senate, and the White House issued a veto threat May 14 saying the bill would infringe on the president’s authority.