As the third month of the second Trump administration comes to a close, the lack of any public enforcement action by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has sanctions watchers...more
4/25/2025
/ Corporate Counsel ,
Due Diligence ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Iran ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Penalties ,
Popular ,
Risk Management ,
Russia ,
Settlement ,
Trump Administration ,
Ukraine
On February 21, 2025, President Trump published a National Security Presidential Memorandum outlining his administration’s views on foreign investment and substantial changes to current regulatory regimes. The...more
2/26/2025
/ America First Trade Policy ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
CFIUS ,
China ,
Compliance ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Export Controls ,
Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) ,
Foreign Investment ,
Foreign Policy ,
National Security ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Russia ,
Trump Administration
The 119th Congress is underway, and Republicans control both chambers. With President Trump in the White House, both the House and the Senate will focus more of their oversight on the private sector. Continuing a trend over...more
2/5/2025
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Banking Sector ,
China ,
Congressional Investigations & Hearings ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Cybersecurity ,
Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA) ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Protection ,
Data Security ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Technology Sector
On January 13, 2025, the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) published an Interim Final Rule (IFR) that expands controls on advanced computing integrated circuits (ICs or chips) and model weights...more
2/5/2025
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
CFIUS ,
China ,
Data Centers ,
Data Security ,
ECCNs ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Export Controls ,
Interim Final Rules (IFR) ,
National Security ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Semiconductors ,
Supply Chain ,
Technology Sector ,
Trump Administration
The Department of Commerce (Commerce) Office of Information and Communications Technology and Services (OICTS) has broad authority—born out of executive action during the first Trump administration—to identify and mitigate...more
1/8/2025
/ China ,
Cybersecurity ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Drones ,
Final Rules ,
Foreign Adversaries ,
Information Technology ,
National Security ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Risk Management ,
Supply Chain ,
Technology Sector ,
U.S. Commerce Department ,
Unmanned Aircraft Systems
For the first time in nearly 30 years, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) proposes to materially revise the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). On December 19, 2024, DOJ issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM)...more
1/2/2025
/ Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Foreign Agents ,
Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) ,
Foreign Governments ,
Foreign Investment ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign-Owned Corporations ,
Information Governance ,
National Security ,
Non-Commercial Use ,
Nonprofits ,
NPRM ,
Public Interest ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Social Media ,
Substantial Interest Test ,
Tourism
Although the Trump transition is well underway, the Biden administration made news in the national security space by announcing significant new export restrictions on semiconductor equipment and technology destined for the...more
12/18/2024
/ Biden Administration ,
Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
China ,
ECCNs ,
Entity List ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Export Controls ,
Foreign Direct Product Rule ,
Interim Final Rules (IFR) ,
NPRM ,
PRC ,
Secretary of State ,
Semiconductors ,
U.S. Commerce Department
On December 6, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) provided insights into Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) regulatory changes and focus areas for 2025. Speaking at the American Conference Institute’s National...more
On November 18, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) Unit published an advisory opinion that appears to severely narrow the statute’s most important exemptions. In the opinion, the...more
Following years of development, on October 28, 2024, the U.S. Department of the Treasury published a final rule establishing its outbound investment security program (Final Rule). The new regime prohibits certain outbound...more
10/31/2024
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
China ,
Executive Authority ,
Final Rules ,
Foreign Investment ,
Foreign Persons ,
Information Technology ,
Lawful Permanent Residents ,
National Security ,
Semiconductors ,
U.S. Treasury
Continuing the Biden administration’s focus on securing the nation’s critical technologies, on September 23, 2024, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) announced a Notice of Proposed...more
9/30/2024
/ Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) ,
Automated Systems ,
Automated Transportation ,
Autonomy ,
Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
China ,
Connected Cars ,
Motor Vehicles ,
PRC ,
Russia ,
Software ,
Supply Chain ,
U.S. Commerce Department
The Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) just announced two developments impacting the Artificial Intelligence (AI) and advanced technologies sectors. Specifically, BIS imposed the first export...more
On July 23, 2024, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS or the “Committee”) released its Annual Report to Congress covering calendar year 2023. In a year that featured lower deal volume, CFIUS...more
On June 24, 2024, the Commerce Department published a Final Determination under its Information and Communications Technology and Services (ICTS) authorities. The determination prohibits the Russian-controlled cybersecurity...more
7/16/2024
/ CFIUS ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Covered Transactions ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Executive Orders ,
FCC ,
Foreign Adversaries ,
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) ,
Information Systems Security Program (ISSP) ,
National Security ,
Risk Assessment ,
Russia ,
Software ,
U.S. Commerce Department
On June 21, 2024, the Biden administration rolled out its outbound investment screening regulations. Last year, the Biden administration published an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) that outlined the broad...more
7/11/2024
/ Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
CFIUS ,
China ,
Covered Transactions ,
Due Diligence ,
Equity Investors ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Information Technology ,
International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) ,
Investment ,
Popular ,
Screening Procedures ,
U.S. Treasury
On June 12, 2024, the United States took several hard-hitting sanctions- and export control-related actions intended to intensify pressure on the Russian government and hamper Russia’s ability to continue to support its war...more
6/19/2024
/ Economic Sanctions ,
EU ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Export Controls ,
Foreign Financial Institutions (FFI) ,
General Licenses ,
Information Technology ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Russia ,
Secondary Sanctions ,
Software ,
Supply Chain ,
U.S. Commerce Department
Last week the D.C. Circuit released its long-anticipated opinion in the Attorney General v. Wynn, holding that the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) could not compel Steve Wynn to retroactively register under the Foreign Agents...more
On May 22, 2024, the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) National Security Division (NSD) announced its first-ever prosecution declination under its corporate voluntary self-disclosure (VSD) policy for sanctions and export controls...more
On May 13, 2024, President Biden issued an Executive Order requiring MineOne Partners Limited and its affiliates (together, “MineOne”) to divest their interest in real property located less than one mile from Francis E....more
On April 2, 2024, the Georgia State Senate sent Senate Bill 368, which creates a state law version of the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) for the State of Georgia, to Governor Brian Kemp for his signature. The...more
On April 24, 2024, President Biden signed into law a long-debated $98 billion foreign aid and national security legislative package (the “Act”) providing funds for Israel, Taiwan, and Ukraine, and authorizing new sanctions...more
4/30/2024
/ Corporate Counsel ,
Cybersecurity ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Drug Trafficking ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Foreign Aid ,
Hamas ,
Harmonization Rules ,
Human Rights ,
International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) ,
Israel ,
Joe Biden ,
National Security ,
NDAA ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Popular ,
Taiwan ,
Terrorist Acts ,
U.S. Treasury ,
Ukraine
On April 11, 2024, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) unveiled updates to its regulations that sharpen CFIUS’s processes and enforcement authorities. Together with remarks by U.S. government...more
On March 14, 2024, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced its first enforcement case of the year and its first ever involving dealings with a Russian designated for sanctions...more
3/25/2024
/ Corporate Counsel ,
Cuban Assets Control Regulations (CACR) ,
Due Diligence ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Enforcement ,
Executive Orders ,
Export Controls ,
Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Sanctions Regulations (FNKSR) ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Risk Assessment ,
Russia ,
Securities Transactions ,
U.S. Treasury
On March 6, 2024, the U.S. Departments of Commerce, Justice, and the Treasury issued a Tri-Seal Compliance Note (Compliance Note) stressing the need for non-U.S. persons to comply with U.S. sanctions and export controls. The...more
Today’s alert—the second in our Sanctions 2023 Year in Review Series—provides an overview of U.S. sanctions enforcement in 2023, including the key lessons learned from the public enforcement actions issued by the U.S....more
3/5/2024
/ Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
CFTC ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Economic Sanctions ,
FinCEN ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Russia ,
Sanction Violations ,
SDN List ,
Technology ,
Ukraine ,
Virtual Currency ,
Whistleblowers