On March 4, President Donald Trump delivered his first joint address to Congress to discuss his achievements at the start of his second administration, his campaign promises and forward-looking policy goals. During the...more
On April 10, the Trump administration announced, through an executive order (EO), a new initiative to reform the defense sales system, with the goal of improving the speed and accountability of the system....more
While the world of defense and foreign policy is driven by the policies of the president and the secretaries of state and defense, defense trade and arms sales are managed by key under and assistant secretaries who oversee...more
After a boom in defense sales in 2024, the United States and countries around the world face a new and changing environment with a renewed debate over defense budgets in the United States, Europe debating the future of its...more
On Feb. 3, Panama announced its plans to leave China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino announced his decision following a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio during Rubio’s...more
2/10/2025
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President-elect Donald Trump and his key advisors have embraced the “Return to Peace through Strength,” sometimes known as “America First,” concept when describing their foreign policy and national security goals in the next...more
1/8/2025
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Trump Administration
On Dec. 7, the House and Senate Armed Services Committees released the text of the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (FY25 NDAA) (H.R. 5009) accompanied by the Joint Explanatory Statement (JES), detailing...more
Last week, the House held its long-awaited “China Week” to vote on a series of legislation targeting various aspects of the U.S.-China relationship. The bills targeted national security, economic relations, technology, the...more
Between July 24–26, trade ministers, members of the diplomatic corps and other stakeholders came to Washington, D.C., for the annual African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Forum. This year’s forum, “Beyond 2025:...more
On June 14, the House voted 217-199 to pass its version of the fiscal year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) (H.R. 8070), and the Senate Armed Services Committee voted 22-3 to advance their chamber’s version of...more
Yesterday, following the completion of the Section 301 review by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), President Joe Biden announced a series of tariff hikes on a wide range of Chinese goods, including...more
On April 17, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) released General License (GL) 44A, requiring the wind down of business transactions with Venezuela’s state-owned energy company Petróleos...more
As the first session of the 118th Congress comes to a close, Congress unveiled a vast array of policy recommendations and legislation furthering their focus on U.S.-China strategic competition. Throughout the year, China...more
On Monday, Oct. 30, President Biden signed an Executive Order (EO) on the Safe, Secure and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The EO is intended to establish safety standards for leading...more
The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), first enacted in May 2000, provides tariff-free treatment of U.S. imports of goods sourced from certain sub-Saharan African countries. AGOA is intended to bolster economic growth...more
On Sept. 21, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen co-hosted the Inaugural U.S. Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII) Investor Forum. President Joe Biden formally...more
Welcome back to Washington where funding the government prior to the beginning of the fiscal year may take top billing, but behind the scenes the Armed Services Committees will begin work in earnest to conference the Fiscal...more
9/6/2023
/ Biden Administration ,
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Ukraine
While the Biden administration has refrained from releasing a formal China strategy, recent speeches on U.S.-China relations by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan have provided key...more