Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, denied claims that President Joe Biden has been too soft on Iran, saying the Biden administration has imposed more sanctions on Iran than its predecessor.

Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., introduced a bill Sept. 9 that would end all U.S. petroleum cooperation and petroleum-related trade with Venezuela until that country's ruler, Nicolas Maduro, concedes he lost Venezuela's recent presidential election.

Four members of the House Financial Services Committee asked the Treasury Department last week for an update on the proposed acquisition of U.S. Steel by Japan-based Nippon Steel, saying they’re concerned the Biden administration’s review of the deal may have been improperly influenced by politics.

The House passed a bill Sept. 9 that would cut off top Chinese leaders and their family members from the U.S. financial system if China takes military action against Taiwan.

Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., introduced a bill last week that would permanently add the agriculture secretary to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. to review agricultural transactions.

Eight House Democrats urged Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., Sept. 5 to immediately bring up bipartisan Venezuela legislation on the House floor when Congress returns from its August recess next week.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., who chairs the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, announced Sept. 5 that officials from four large U.S. computing chip manufacturers will testify at a hearing next week on Russia’s efforts to evade U.S. export controls.

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said Sept. 3 that the Bureau of Industry and Security is failing to stem the flow of U.S.-made advanced computing chips to China and must take additional steps to stop the “semiconductor leakage.”

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., criticized the Biden administration last week for its recent use of sanctions against Israelis, saying the practice undercuts an ally fighting a war against terrorism and emboldens enemies of Israel and the U.S. Rubio said Israel’s judicial system “is fully capable of prosecuting crimes committed within its borders” and that the administration should stop inserting itself into such matters. His comments, which he made in a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, came two days after the U.S. sanctioned an Israeli non-governmental organization and an Israeli person for contributing to violence against Palestinians in the West Bank (see 2408280023).

The leaders of the House Select Committee on China asked the Commerce Department last week to describe the steps the Biden administration is taking to address attempts by Chinese companies to offer their products through different companies to evade U.S. restrictions.