Howard Lutnick has been confirmed as Secretary of Commerce, while Jeffrey Kessler has been nominated for Under Secretary for Industry and Security. Both have more experience with trade policy and tariffs than with export...more
2/20/2025
/ America First Trade Policy ,
Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
China ,
Executive Orders ,
Export Controls ,
International Trade ,
National Security ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Freeze ,
Trade Relations ,
Trump Administration
On January 20, 2025, President Trump signed the National Security Presidential Memorandum (NSPM-1), which lays out the framework for how the National Security Council (NSC) will be organized under his administration. The...more
On January 29, 2024, the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) issued a proposed rule (the Proposed Rule) that would impose significant know-your-customer (KYC), monitoring and reporting obligations...more
2/2/2024
/ Biden Administration ,
Cloud Service Providers (CSPs) ,
Enforcement ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Jurisdictions ,
Infrastructure ,
Know Your Customers ,
Penalties ,
Proposed Rules ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Verification Requirements
Key Points
- On February 11, 2021, in the first deployment of sanctions since assuming office, President Biden issued EO 14014, authorizing sanctions against members of the Burmese military and related parties responsible...more
• On May 15, 2019, President Trump issued a long-awaited E.O. designed to curtail the use of telecommunications items and services from certain countries and persons in U.S. networks. The E.O. does not impose immediate...more
5/16/2019
/ CFIUS ,
China ,
Executive Orders ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Export Controls ,
Foreign Policy ,
Infrastructure ,
International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) ,
Jurisdiction ,
National Security ,
New Regulations ,
Telecommunications ,
Trade Relations ,
Trump Administration
• On January 28, 2019, OFAC added the Venezuelan state-owned oil and natural gas company PdVSA to its SDN List.
• As a result, U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with PdVSA and entities that...more
2/6/2019
/ Blocked Person ,
Bonds ,
Capital Markets ,
Debt-Equity ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Energy Sector ,
Executive Orders ,
General Licenses ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Oil & Gas ,
SDN List ,
Securities Transactions ,
State-Owned Enterprises ,
Trump Administration ,
Venezuela
• On September 20, 2018, for the first time, the Trump administration imposed sanctions on a non-U.S. entity and its director for engaging in “significant transactions” with a Russian defense sector company included on the...more
9/26/2018
/ Blocked Person ,
CAATSA ,
Defense Sector ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Executive Orders ,
Intelligence Services ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Russia ,
SDN List ,
Secondary Sanctions ,
Suppliers ,
Trump Administration
• On August 6, 2018, following President Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from the JCPOA, the U.S. government announced the reimposition of sanctions on Iran’s automotive sector, its trade in gold and precious...more
8/17/2018
/ Blocking Statutes ,
Economic Sanctions ,
EU ,
Executive Orders ,
International Relations ,
Iran ,
Iran Sanctions ,
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
SDN List ,
Secondary Sanctions ,
Trade Relations ,
Trump Administration ,
Winding Down ,
Withdrawal
• On May 21, 2018, the Trump administration imposed new sanctions on the Government of Venezuela in response to the reelection of President Maduro and the “deepening humanitarian and public health crisis” fueled by the Maduro...more
• On April 6, 2018, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) placed seven prominent Russian businessmen, 12 companies, 17 senior Russian government officials, and a state-owned Russian...more
4/9/2018
/ Banking Sector ,
Blocked Person ,
CAATSA ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Executive Orders ,
Financial Institutions ,
General Licenses ,
Government Officials ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Russia ,
SDN List ,
State-Owned Enterprises ,
Trump Administration ,
U.S. Treasury
• Effective October 13, 2017, President Trump declined to provide certification that the JCPOA is in the United States’ national interest. Following this “decertification,” the U.S. Congress has 60 days in which to introduce...more
11/2/2017
/ Anti-Terrorism Financing ,
Decertify ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Policy ,
Foreign Relations ,
Iran ,
Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015 (INARA) ,
Iran Sanctions ,
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) ,
Legislative Amendments ,
Members of Congress ,
Nuclear Weapons ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Proposed Legislation ,
SDN List ,
Sunset Provisions ,
Trump Administration ,
U.S. Treasury
Based on certain State Department findings, effective October 12, 2017, long-standing U.S. sanctions on the Republic of Sudan administered by OFAC under the Sudan Sanctions Regulations will be terminated, and U.S. persons...more
10/13/2017
/ Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
Commerce Control List ,
Commodities ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Executive Orders ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Exports ,
General Licenses ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
SDN List ,
Secretary of State ,
Sudan ,
Trade Restrictions ,
Trump Administration ,
TSRA
On September 29, 2017, OFAC modified Directives 1 and 2 of Executive Order 13662 to reduce the permissible maturity for new debt issued by Russian financial and energy entities designated under these directives, as well as...more
10/5/2017
/ Banking Sector ,
Cybersecurity ,
Debt ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Energy Sector ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Financial Institutions (FFI) ,
Foreign Relations ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Presidential Directives ,
Russia ,
Trump Administration ,
Ukraine
On September 21, 2017, the White House announced additional sanctions against North Korea, following a new round of sanctions imposed by the United Nations on September 11 and an escalation of U.S. sanctions previously...more
9/26/2017
/ Aircraft ,
Anti-Terrorism Financing ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Executive Orders ,
Exports ,
Foreign Financial Institutions (FFI) ,
Foreign Relations ,
Fund Transfers ,
North Korea ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Secretary of State ,
Secretary of the Treasury ,
Trade Restrictions ,
Trump Administration ,
Vessels
On August 25, 2017, President Trump issued an Executive Order (EO) imposing economic sanctions related to Venezuela. The new measures prohibit U.S. persons from engaging in certain debt-, equity-, and securities-related...more
8/31/2017
/ Agricultural Sector ,
Blocked Person ,
Bonds ,
Citgo ,
Debt-Equity ,
Dividends ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Executive Orders ,
General Licenses ,
Medical Devices ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Patented Medicines ,
SDN List ,
Securities Transactions ,
Trump Administration ,
Venezuela
On August 2, 2017, President Trump signed into law the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act of 2017 (Pub. Law. No. 115-44, H.R. 3364) (the “Act”), which significantly expands economic sanctions against...more
8/9/2017
/ Anti-Corruption ,
Anti-Terrorism Financing ,
Arms Embargo ,
Congressional Override ,
Cyber Sanctions ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Executive Orders ,
Exports ,
Foreign Financial Institutions (FFI) ,
Foreign Relations ,
Iran Sanctions ,
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) ,
North Korea ,
Oil & Gas ,
Pipelines ,
Privatization ,
Russia ,
SDN List ,
SSI List ,
State-Owned Enterprises ,
Syria ,
Trade Restrictions ,
Trump Administration
Key Points -
- The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control has added 25 new entities and individuals to its Specially Designated Nationals List, including some located in China, Lebanon,...more
Key Points -
- This action marks the first time sanctions have been imposed under the Cybersecurity Sanctions Program established on April 1, 2015, with the designation of nine entities and individuals.
-...more
1/5/2017
/ Barack Obama ,
Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
Cybersecurity ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Executive Orders ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Export Controls ,
FBI ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Russia ,
Sanctions ,
SDN List ,
U.S. Commerce Department
On July 10, 2015, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) published, in abbreviated form, Venezuela Sanctions Regulations (VSR) in 31 C.F.R. Part 591. The VSR implement the Venezuela...more
On April 1, 2015, President Obama signed an executive order establishing a new sanctions program targeting individuals and entities responsible for, or complicit in, cyber-enabled activities that threaten the national...more
On March 9, 2015, following failed diplomatic efforts to bring Venezuela in line with its human rights commitments under international law, President Obama issued an Executive Order (E.O.) declaring Venezuela a national...more