The State and Defense departments should act quickly to send more weapons, ammunition and military equipment to Ukraine as it defends itself from Russia’s military incursion, Republican lawmakers said. In a March 15 letter to secretaries of both agencies, Republican leaders on the Senate and House national security committees urged the administration to “rapidly exercise the authority” granted under Congress’ recently passed spending bill (see 2203110011), which includes funding for “a robust package of lethal and nonlethal aid to Ukraine.”
Republican senators criticized President Joe Biden's choices not to levy sanctions on Russia before last month's invasion of Ukraine, and questioned why the sanctions now aren't tougher, during a press conference March 16 at the Capitol.
Senators on the Finance Committee agreed that deepening trade ties with countries in Asia is important both for geopolitical and economic reasons, but they disagreed during a March 15 hearing on the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework about whether a traditional free-trade agreement is a better approach than the IPEF.
Senate Republicans said this week they would not sign off on an upcoming U.S.-Iran nuclear agreement (see 2203070008) they say will “weaken” U.S. sanctions and lessen restrictions on the country’s nuclear program. The senators are concerned about reports the administration will soon conclude a deal with Iran to “provide substantial sanctions relief in exchange for merely short-term limitations on Iran’s nuclear program,” the lawmakers said in a March 14 joint statement.
The Senate voted March 10 to confirm Maria Pagan as deputy U.S. trade representative in USTR's Geneva office to serve as an ambassador to the World Trade Organization. Pagan joined USTR's staff in 2003, rising to deputy general counsel and aiding the agency across multiple administrations on a host of trade agreements and negotiations. Before joining USTR, Pagan was an attorney adviser in the Office of the Chief Counsel for International Commerce at the Commerce Department. During her confirmation hearing, Pagan said that reforming the WTO's Appellate Body is a top priority since the body's "overreaching has shielded China's non-market practices and hurt the interest of U.S. workers and businesses" (see 2111300063). She was confirmed by an 80-19 vote, with Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., not voting.
The Senate on March 10 passed a government funding bill that includes an emergency Ukraine-related aid package for certain U.S. export control and sanctions work. The bill, passed by the House March 9 (see 2203100014), allocates money for the Bureau of Industry and Security, the Treasury Department’s Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, and DOJ to help enforce export controls and sanctions against Russia. The president must sign the bill before it becomes law.
The House March 9 passed a government funding bill, including an emergency Ukraine-related aid package for certain U.S. export control and sanctions work.
A Senate bill with bipartisan support could apply secondary sanctions on anyone transacting or transporting gold from Russia’s central bank holdings or selling gold in Russia. The Stop Russian Government and Oligarchs from Limiting Democracy Act, introduced this week, would look to close a “loophole” in U.S. sanctions that allows Russian oligarchs to launder money through gold, the sponsoring senators said March 8. The bill would authorize secondary sanctions to “deter the purchase of Russian gold and close this loophole that allows the Russian Federation to soften the financial impact of sanctions.”
The National Electrical Manufacturers Association is asking House and Senate leadership to "expeditiously advance" a compromise China package by resolving differences between the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (USICA) and the America Creating Opportunities for Manufacturing Pre-Eminence in Technology and Economic Strength (America Competes) Act.
Two House Republicans again reminded the State Department that it must submit to Congress any new deal reached with Iran over its nuclear commitments, saying they are concerned the Biden administration may be trying to avoid this requirement (see 2106150029). House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, said they fear the administration is “working through Russian intermediaries to finalize an Iran nuclear deal without submitting it for Congressional consideration.”