Six Democratic and Republican senators urged the Biden administration last week to again designate the Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), citing the Yemen-based group’s attacks on commercial ships, U.S. forces deployed overseas and Israel, and its obstruction of humanitarian aid deliveries to Yemeni civilians.
Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev., introduced a resolution last week urging the Biden administration to pause further transfers or sales of U.S.-made fighter jets to Turkey. Titus criticized Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for making statements threatening Israel and supporting the terrorist group Hamas in its war on Israel. The measure was referred to the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The State Department formally notified Congress in January that it approved Turkey’s request to buy 40 new F-16s and modernize 79 existing ones for a total of $23 billion (see 2401290067).
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., asked PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) last week to explain whether the U.K.-based consulting firm, which has a large presence in the U.S., has provided consulting services for China-based clients that were on the Defense Department’s 1260H list of Chinese military companies, the Treasury Department’s Non-SDN Chinese Military-Industrial Complex Companies List or the Commerce Department’s Entity List. Rubio included his question in a letter raising concerns about PwC’s ties to China. PwC had no immediate comment on the letter.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas, said Nov. 6 he’s pleased the U.K. is reportedly preparing to reimpose sanctions on Iran for violating its nuclear weapons-related obligations. McCaul said the snapback of U.N. sanctions on Iran is "vital" now because the mechanism that authorizes them is set to expire.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas, urged the Commerce Department Nov. 5 to investigate whether China’s Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC) violated U.S. export controls.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, again urged the Biden administration to end delays that he said are slowing shipments of bombs and more than 10 other weapons sales to Israel.
A bipartisan group of six senators and nine House members urged the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to reconsider its decision to vacate reauthorizations for two liquefied natural gas export projects in Texas (see 2409300030). Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who led the filing of friend-of-the-court briefs with Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, said the decision on the Rio Grande LNG and Texas LNG projects threatens 7,000 jobs and $24 billion in investment.
House Select Committee on China Chairman Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Mich., plans to introduce a bill that would bring the State Department’s “scattered” economic security offices under a new deputy secretary position to help the U.S. compete with China, his office announced Nov. 1.
Two leaders of the U.S. Helsinki Commission, also known as the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, said last week they welcome the Biden administration’s decision to move forward with giving Ukraine $20 billion in loans that will be repaid with interest generated from frozen Russian central bank assets.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., told DOJ this week that she believes its recent settlement with TD Bank does not go far enough to hold the financial firm and its leaders accountable for their lax adherence to anti-money laundering laws.