The Drug Enforcement Administration will temporarily list the synthetic cathinones N-ethylhexedrone, α-PHP, 4-MEAP, MPHP, PV8, and 4-chloro-α-PVP in schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, it said in a notice. The chemical will be subject to import and export restrictions for schedule I substances. The agency can temporarily list controlled substances for up to three years before a permanent listing is required.
The Directorate of Defense Trade Controls is changing the name of its Defense Trade Controls Compliance Registration division to the Registration Compliance & Analysis (RCA) division, the DDTC said in a July 15 notice. There will be no change to the registration organization’s structure, the DDTC said. The notice said all registration letters issued on or after July 15 will “reflect the RCA division” and all active letters issued before July 15 remain valid and no changes are needed. The DDTC also said it updated its website on July 15 to reflect the name change.
The president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation praised President Donald Trump’s recent decision to loosen restrictions on exports to Huawei, saying criticism of the announcement “misses the point.” In a blog post, Robert Atkinson said “it does not appear” that Trump agreed to permanently lift the Huawei ban, but only to temporarily allow Huawei to import U.S. products to ease trade tensions in the pursuit of a deal with China. “Presumably he has made it clear to [Chinese President] Xi [Jinping] that if China does not play ball, the ban could and would resume,” Atkinson said. “It is highly unlikely that Xi would have or could have agreed to reopen negotiations without this ‘concession.’” The statement followed Trump’s announcement at the G-20 Summit in Japan that he would be easing restrictions on Huawei, which includes allowing U.S. companies to sell “general merchandise” to the tech giant (see 1907010050).
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service finalized a rule updating the qualifications for participating in the Export Credit Guarantee Program, the agency said in a notice. Previous regulations required certifications for program participant "affiliates," FAS said. The agency is now eliminating that requirement in order to better align with other USDA requirements, it said. Also, "the 'affiliate' certification is burdensome on U.S. exporters, sellers, and U.S. and foreign financial institution participants that are large, and often diverse, organizations with many affiliates," it said. "This change will therefore reduce the burden on program applicants and participants." The change is effective June 18.
President Donald Trump issued an executive order directing all federal departments and agencies to eliminate one-third of their current Federal Advisory Committee Act-authorized committees by Sept. 30. The order limits the total government-wide number of advisory committees to 350. Eliminated committees should include those found to deal with subject matters that have “become obsolete,” have accomplished their stated objectives, have primary functions “that have been assumed by another entity” or that the agency finds have a “cost of operation [that’s] excessive in relation” to their “benefits to the Federal Government.” Agencies can count committees already eliminated since Trump entered office in January 2017 toward their quota. Agency heads can seek a waiver of the requirement if OMB concludes “it is necessary for the delivery of essential services, for effective program delivery, or because it is otherwise warranted by the public interest.” All agency heads will need to submit recommendations by Aug. 1 to OMB for eliminating committees. OMB will recommend which committees to eliminate by Sept. 1.
The rise of export-credit agencies around the world is threatening U.S. exporters and pushing them out of certain marketplaces, Paul Shmotolokha, the nominee for vice president of the Export-Import Bank of the United States, said in his pitch to the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs on June 5.
U.S. companies that sell defense products to foreign countries or entities must report all offsets agreements greater than $5 million to the Commerce Department by June 15, the Bureau of Industry and Security said in a notice scheduled to be published in the Federal Register June 6. Companies must also report any offsets transactions completed within an existing commitment “for which offsets credit of $250,000 or more has been claimed from the foreign representative,” the notice said. Commerce is asking for reports of offsets agreements that took place during the 2018 calendar year.
All U.S. cargo and air transportation to and from any airport in Venezuela is suspended, effective May 15, the Department of Homeland Security said in a notice. "The Secretary of Homeland Security has determined that conditions in Venezuela threaten the safety and security of passengers, aircraft, and crew, and that the public interest requires an immediate suspension of air transportation," DHS said. The decision involved multiple factors, including the limited access of Transportation Security Administration employees to perform assessments in the airports and "the risk of Maduro regime actions against U.S. citizens and U.S. interests located in Venezuela," DHS said. Acting DHS Secretary Kevin McAleenan made the decision, with input from the secretaries of Transportation and State. "If and when the conditions in Venezuela change and if in the public interest, the Secretary of Homeland Security, in coordination with the Secretary of Transportation, will revisit this determination," DHS said.
The U.S. and United Kingdom announced the Financial Innovation Partnership, a collaboration between the two countries to boost “bilateral engagement” in financial services innovation and expand trade, the Treasury Department said in a May 29 press release. Along with “encouraging collaboration in the private sector,” Treasury said the goal is to generally promote “growth and innovation.”
The Treasury Department submitted to Congress its semiannual Report on Macroeconomic and Foreign Exchange Policies of Major Trading Partners of the U.S., finding that “no major U.S. trading partner met the relevant … criteria” for unfair trading practices. Treasury did find, however, that nine “major trading partners” warrant “close attention to their currency practices:” China, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam, according to a May 28 press release. Of the nine, all but China “met two of the three criteria for enhanced analysis under” the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015, Treasury said. In its report, Treasury said China “has met one of the three criteria in every” report since 2016 and “constitutes a disproportionate share of the overall U.S. trade deficit.”