The Cuban Assets Control Regulations have been amended to prohibit U.S. persons from lodging at certain properties in Cuba, incorporate restrictions on imports of Cuban alcohol and tobacco, and revoke general licenses...more
On 14 July, the same day the president signed into law the Hong Kong Autonomy Act (the act), President Trump issued the Executive Order on Hong Kong Normalization (the EO) directing federal agencies to impose a range of trade...more
On 27 May 2020 U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo certified to Congress that the State Department no longer considers Hong Kong to have significant autonomy from China and therefore "Hong Kong does not continue to warrant...more
On 1 May 2020 President Trump issued an "Executive Order on Securing the United States Bulk-Power System" (the Bulk-Power System EO), which establishes a framework for imposing broad new restrictions on the acquisition,...more
A deeper dive into the president's FY2021 budget request for the U.S. Department of Commerce reveals new initiatives aimed at safeguarding technology.
- The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)...more
2/28/2020
/ 5G Network ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
China ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Emerging Technologies ,
Export Controls ,
NIST ,
NTIA ,
Supply Chain ,
Telecommunications ,
Trump Administration ,
U.S. Commerce Department
On 10 January 2020, in response to missile attacks by the Iranian military targeting two U.S. bases in Iraq, the United States Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated a number of senior...more
1/14/2020
/ Blocked Person ,
Construction Project ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Policy ,
Foreign Relations ,
Goods or Services ,
Iran ,
Iran Sanctions ,
Manufacturers ,
Mining ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Prohibited Transactions ,
SDN List ,
Textiles ,
Trump Administration
On 26 November 2019 the U.S. Department of Commerce issued a long-awaited proposed rule (or draft regulations) to implement Executive Order 13873, "Securing the Information and Communications Technology and Services Supply...more
11/27/2019
/ Acquisitions ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Foreign Adversaries ,
Imports ,
Proposed Rules ,
Risk Assessment ,
Risk Management ,
Secretary of Commerce ,
Supply Chain ,
Telecommunications ,
Trump Administration ,
U.S. Commerce Department
On 25 October the U.S. Departments of the Treasury and State announced the establishment of a new channel for conducting due diligence on humanitarian trade with Iran.
Foreign governments and foreign financial institutions...more
11/8/2019
/ AML/CFT ,
Due Diligence ,
FinCEN ,
Foreign Financial Institutions (FFI) ,
Foreign Relations ,
Humanitarian Assistance ,
Iran ,
Iran Sanctions ,
Money Laundering ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Trump Administration
Recent actions by the U.S. Department of State underscore the Trump administration's efforts to use a "whole of government" approach to address perceived national security threats posed by China.
While these actions do not...more
On 14 October, President Donald Trump issued Executive Order 13894, Blocking Property and Suspending Entry of Certain Persons Contributing to the Situation in Syria (EO).
...more
10/18/2019
/ Blocked Person ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Financial Institutions (FFI) ,
Foreign Policy ,
Foreign Relations ,
General Licenses ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
SDN List ,
Syria ,
Trump Administration ,
Turkey ,
Unauthorized Transactions
On 2 August the United States announced that it will impose a second round of sanctions on Russia pursuant to the Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination Act of 1991 (CBW Act) (22 U.S.C. § 5601 et...more
On 5 August 2019 the Trump administration issued Executive Order 13884 (the executive order) imposing sweeping sanctions against the government of Venezuela, including its agencies and instrumentalities as well as any...more
Following on the heels of U.S. trade negotiators’ return from China, on 1 August, President Trump abruptly announced via Twitter an “additional Tariff of 10 percent on the remaining 300 Billion Dollars of goods and products...more
8/14/2019
/ China ,
Currency Manipulation ,
Direct to Consumer Sales ,
Economic Downturn ,
Exports ,
Imports ,
Requests for Exclusion ,
Section 301 ,
Supply Chain ,
Tariffs ,
Trade Relations ,
Trade Retaliation ,
Trade Wars ,
Trump Administration ,
U.S. Commerce Department ,
U.S. Treasury ,
US Trade Policies ,
USTR
With or without a trade deal, national security concerns regarding China are here to stay -
Since President Trump took office, the U.S.-China trade relationship has been at the center of the administration’s foreign...more
7/1/2019
/ Aerospace ,
CFIUS ,
China ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Defense Sector ,
Emerging Technology Companies ,
Export Controls ,
FIRRMA ,
Foreign Acquisitions ,
Information Technology ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
National Security ,
Trump Administration
On 4 June 2019 the Trump administration implemented certain regulatory changes first announced on 17 April 2019 by National Security Advisor Ambassador John Bolton in a foreign policy address regarding the Trump...more
On 28 January 2019, the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PdVSA) as a Specially Designated National (SDN) for operating in the oil sector of the...more
The past two weeks have entailed a flurry of sanctions developments related to Russia, including the issuance of a new executive order, and the designation of a number of entities by the U.S. Department of the Treasury's...more
In furtherance of President Trump’s 8 May 2018 announcement that the United States would withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal—the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)—on 27 June 2018, the U.S. Department of Treasury’s...more
On 15 June 2018 the United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced the imposition of additional 25 percent tariffs (i.e., a 25 percent tax) on US$34 billion in annual imports from China. The new duties will be effective...more
Declaring that it is “defective at its core,” on 8 May 2018, President Trump announced that the United States would withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal and begin re-imposing sanctions that were lifted pursuant to U.S....more
Today, the Trump Administration designated multiple Russian targets, including several wealthy individuals and their companies, as Specially Designated Nationals (SDNs). These designations of major companies represent the...more
As potential trade war looms, nearly 1,300 U.S.-imports may be subject to additional 25 percent tariffs under Section 301.
U.S. imports from China potentially subject to additional duties include certain chemicals,...more
4/9/2018
/ Aluminum Sales ,
China ,
Foreign Relations ,
Global Market ,
Imports ,
National Security ,
Steel Industry ,
Tariffs ,
Trade Relations ,
Trump Administration ,
US Trade Policies ,
USTR
On Monday, 29 January, the U.S. Treasury Department submitted an unclassified report to Congress concerning significant senior political figures and oligarchs in the Russian Federation and Russian parastatal entities.
...more
On December 20, 2017, President Trump issued Executive Order 13818 implementing the Global Magnitsky Act, and the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued the first designations responsive to this statute.
...more
On 9 November 2017, the Trump Administration implemented new regulations to support its change to U.S. policy on Cuba. The U.S. Government has created a new Cuba Restricted List administered by the State Department. Through...more