The Bureau of Industry and Security is extending public comment periods for two information collections related to its delivery verification procedures for imports, it said in notices released Nov. 20. The agency previously requested feedback on the collections in July and is now allowing an additional 30 days for comments (see 2507250001).

Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Mich., who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on South and Central Asia, which oversees the Bureau of Industry and Security, introduced a bill Nov. 17 to promote multilateral coordination on export controls for chipmaking equipment.

Rep. Julie Johnson, D-Texas, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on South and Central Asia, which oversees the Bureau of Industry and Security, said Nov. 20 that she’s concerned that recent personnel departures at BIS have caused a “talent drain” at the export control agency.

The U.S. plans to allow United Arab Emirates-based AI company G42 and Saudi Arabia-based AI firm Humain to buy the equivalent of up to 35,000 Nvidia Blackwell chips, also known as GB300s, the Commerce Department said in a Nov. 19 emailed press release.

Longtime senior Bureau of Industry and Security official Kevin Kurland is leaving the agency next month, multiple people familiar with the matter said. A BIS official said Kurland informed senior agency staff this week that he plans to retire from government before the end of the year.

The U.S. appeared to have underestimated or not understood the impact of the Bureau of Industry and Security 50% rule, especially the volume of license applications the agency was set to receive, said Thea Kendler, former BIS assistant secretary for export administration.

The U.S. government’s “economic statecraft” tools, including export controls and sanctions, are “fragmented” across multiple agencies, and Congress should consider consolidating them into a single entity to increase coordination, focus and accountability, the congressionally mandated U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission said in its new 2025 annual report.

Nature’s Sunshine Products, a dietary supplement manufacturer headquartered in Utah, said it recently submitted final voluntary disclosures related to possible violations of U.S. sanctions and export controls.

Emily Weinstein, senior policy adviser at the Bureau of Industry and Security’s Office of the Assistant Secretary for Export Administration, said Nov. 14 she’s leaving the agency. “Unbeknownst to me, today was my last day” at BIS, she wrote on LinkedIn. "I am deeply saddened to be leaving the amazing BIS team behind, but am looking forward to seeing what comes next."

Exporters should continue preparing to adhere to the Bureau of Industry and Security’s new Affiliates Rule, even though the Trump administration recently suspended it for a year, two compliance experts said Nov. 13 during a webinar hosted by the American Association of Exporters and Importers.