Rep. Young Kim, R-Calif., announced May 31 that she and three other House members have introduced a bill that would sanction Iranian judges, prosecutors and investigators for their ongoing persecution of peaceful protesters.
U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns is scheduled to give the Senate Foreign Relations Committee an update on U.S.-China relations during a closed-door hearing June 4. Further information on the hearing’s focus wasn't disclosed. Committee Chairman Ben Cardin, D-Md., said in February that he was working to craft a “comprehensive” bill to address a wide range of concerns about China (see 2402010067).
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Ben Cardin, D-Md., and Sens. Bill Cassidy, R-La., and Marco Rubio, R-Fla., urged the Biden administration in a joint statement May 30 to sanction anyone involved in detaining, trying and torturing political prisoners in Venezuela, including judges, clerks, prison guards and interrogators. The senators said the Venezuelan government has increased its persecution of human rights and political activists in the run-up to the country’s July 28 presidential election.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said May 29 that he plans to introduce legislation designating the Palestinian Authority as a foreign terrorist organization for paying Palestinians who commit terrorist attacks against Israelis.
At least four congressional Republicans from Florida -- Sen. Marco Rubio and Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart, Carlo Gimenez and Maria Salazar -- criticized the Biden administration’s decision to give some in Cuba’s private sector access to the U.S. financial system (see 2405280033), saying such entities are generally controlled by, and enrich, the country’s communist government. “Instead of helping fund the repressive, anti-American dictatorship and their cronies, the Biden administration should tighten sanctions and stand in strong solidarity with the Cuban people in their struggle to be free,” Diaz-Balart tweeted.
Several provisions relating to sanctions and export controls are included in the Senate version of the FY 2025 Intelligence Authorization Act, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence said in a bill summary released last week.
The Government Accountability Office told Sen. Mike Crapo of Idaho, the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, that Congress can't vote to overturn the Japan critical minerals agreement.
A bipartisan group of six senators introduced a bill last week that would sanction Georgian officials for passing “foreign agents” legislation that cracks down on civil society organizations and independent media outlets.
The leaders of the House Select Committee on China asked DOJ last week to investigate the Drone Advocacy Alliance for illegally lobbying on behalf of, and promoting the “interests of,” sanctioned Chinese drone company DJI, which also is on the Commerce Department’s Entity List. Reps. John Moolenaar, R-Mich., and Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., said the alliance is “funded and maintained” by DJI, and may be violating filing requirements under the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
Rep. Sara Jacobs, D-Calif., introduced a bill May 22 that would prohibit U.S. arms sales to the United Arab Emirates until the Biden administration certifies that the UAE is no longer providing material support to Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF).