Decide on Top BIS Nominee, China Tech Threat Tells Senate
China Tech Threat, a consultant-owned organization that advocates for stronger export controls, urged the Senate to speed up the confirmation process for Alan Estevez to lead the Bureau of Industry and Security. The group said Estevez will bring “extensive national security background to the role at a critical time as China’s ambitions to dominate emerging technology markets pose a serious threat to U.S. economic and national security interests.” The vacancy for BIS undersecretary leaves a “glaring hole in our export control regime,” the organization said, noting that it has been more than five years since the agency last had a confirmed undersecretary.
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Estevez was nominated in July (see 2107130004) and was approved by the Senate Banking committee in October (see 2110050029) but hasn’t yet been confirmed by the full Senate. Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., was the sole Senate Banking Committee member to oppose Estevez’s nomination (see 2110050029) because Estevez declined to take a stance on a Donald Trump-era rule that transferred certain gun export controls from the State Department to Commerce (see 2104200027). A spokesperson for Menendez declined to comment.