Sens. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., reintroduced a bill to impose sanctions on foreign entities and governments that provide financial or material support to Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, or affiliates of the terrorist groups, Rubio’s office announced March 5. The proposed “Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad International Terrorism Support Prevention Act of 2024” was reintroduced to incorporate language tweaks and the addition of a Democratic co-lead, a Rubio spokesperson said. The House passed similar legislation in November (see 2311020030).
A leading Senate critic of TikTok said March 6 that he has reservations about a new House bill that would ban the popular social media application in the U.S. if China’s ByteDance doesn't divest the platform.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., who chairs the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, has asked the Commerce Department for several types of information to help his panel better understand how Russia overcame export controls and sanctions to obtain U.S. technology for its military.
Reps. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., and Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., the chairman and ranking member, respectively, of the House Select Committee on China, introduced a bill March 5 to ban TikTok in the U.S. unless China’s ByteDance divests the social media application.
Democratic Sens. Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Jeff Merkley of Oregon introduced a bill Feb. 28 to ban exports of liquefied natural gas and crude oil to China, Iran, North Korea and Russia. They said such exports could raise domestic prices for natural gas and help China’s state-sponsored industries compete against U.S. companies.
House Republican conservatives introduced a bill to restrict outbound investment in Chinese tech companies, require the administration to impose sanctions "on entities knowingly engaging in a pattern of theft of American IP," and impose sanctions on "Chinese officials and entities until they have stopped the flow of deadly fentanyl, and we’ve determined that fentanyl overdoses/deaths have dropped by 98%." It also said the administration must sanction "Chinese apps that steal U.S. citizens’ data and protect personal health data from China."
A bipartisan group of nine senators, including Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Ben Cardin, D-Md., urged the Biden administration on Feb. 29 to consider taking additional steps, including economic restrictions, to pressure Nicaraguan government officials to end their crackdown on political dissent and religious freedom.
Nine Republican senators urged President Joe Biden to rescind his recent executive order on West Bank sanctions and his new memorandum on U.S. foreign military aid, saying both treat Israel unfairly.
The Biden administration and Congress should wield a wide range of tools to choke off Iran’s oil exports, which are fueling Tehran’s support for terrorist groups, a former State Department official said Feb. 28.
The leaders of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence urged Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo to strengthen biotechnology export controls to preserve U.S. leadership in the critical sector.