Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim delivered remarks at the Department of Justice on April 29, 2024, marking the one-year anniversary of the launch of the Timber Interdiction Membership Board and Enforcement Resources Working Group.

On April 17, 2024, the Enforce and Protect Act (EAPA)’s Final Rule takes effect. EAPA establishes procedures for an “ interested party” to submit an allegation that an importer is evading its payment of antidumping and countervailing (AD/CVD) duties.  

In testimony before the U.S. Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control last week, Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson Before the U.S. Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control directed lawmakers attention to Chinese money laundering organizations (CMLOs). CMLOs offer several advantages for illicit actors. These money launderers are insular, decentralized, and rely on interpersonal relationships among the Chinese diaspora to conduct business, making them difficult for law enforcement to penetrate.

Congressional lawmakers are taking another stab at trying to put together and pass the 2024 Farm Bill after running into difficulties last year. Both Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich) and House Agriculture Committee Chair Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-Penn) unveiled their Farm Bill proposals last week. While the Senate version appeals to the customary bipartisan compromise, the House Committee's ranking Democrat complains his GOP colleagues " turned what could have been a genuinely bipartisan bill into a messaging exercise to appease their right flank that has no chance of becoming law.”

Bipartisan legislation (HR 8187) introduced last week would improve transparency in the current battery supply chain by creating an Energy Department program to support the development, implementation and adoption of digital identification systems.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced yesterday that he has named Malikha Daniels as Senior Policy Advisor for the Foreign Agricultural Service.

The US Export-Import Bank signed two new Memoranda of Understanding yesterday, one with Nigeria and the other with Mastercard. The Nigerian MOU is "to encourage collaboration and identify projects that enhance economic prosperity between Nigeria and the United States,"according to EXIM.  The Mastercard MoU is "to encourage collaboration opportunities in support of small businesses."

Thursday, The Commerce Department announced its preliminarily determination that aluminum extrusion producers and exporters in in fourteen countries are selling their product in the US at less than fair value. In 2022, the U.S. imported 57 million tons of aluminum extrusions worth about US$3.19 billion from 15 countries, according to U.S. Department of Commerce statistics. The United States imported 110,000 tons worth US$660 million from Mexico, the largest exporter of aluminum extrusions to the United States.

Despite repeated requests to increase the World Trade Organization’s budget during 2022 and 2023, Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala says that “the organization will have a budgetary surplus of CHF 4.8 million (close to USD 5 million)”, an increase that prompted her to seek “stepping up our recruitment to hire the very best staff.” The DG has embarked on reforming the Secretariat based on a McKinsey and Company report. The reform process generated considerable controversy in the organization, said several people familiar with the reform-related developments.

Responding to reports the company has secretly funded research at US universities through an independent foundation, new chairman of the House Select Committee on China Rep. John Moolenaar (R-Mich) is taking aim at Chinese telecoms giant Huawei. The research funding is a way for China to steal US innovations, the chairman said.  The Administration should suspend all export licenses to Huawei and consider other steps such as placing the company on the Specifically Designated National list, he stated.

The Justice Depaertment's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) will be submitting for review and approval revisions to the form filed for approval to permanently export NFA firearms registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record

The Energy Department has published their interpretation of the statutory definition of “foreign entity of concern” (FEOC) in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), which applies to multiple programs related to the battery supply chain. In this final interpretive rule, DOE responds to public comments, clarifying the term “foreign entity of concern” by providing interpretations of the following key terms: “government of a foreign country;” “foreign entity;” “subject to the jurisdiction;” and “owned by, controlled by, or subject to the direction.”

The Department of Defense published proposed rules prohibiting the acquisition of semiconductor parts and services manufactured by certain Chinese manufacturing concerns. DoD, GSA, and NASA are considering amending the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to implement paragraphs (a), (b), and (h) in section 5949 of the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 that prohibits executive agencies from procuring or obtaining certain products and services that include covered semiconductor products or services effective December 23, 2027.

REVISION TO LICENSE TYPE C33 No License Required (NLR) to reflect “600 series” items are eligible for this license type when exported to Australia and the United Kingdom. An update has been made to AES to reflect that NLR shipments of 600-series and 9x515 ECCNs (except .y paragraph) can be shipped only to Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

Following on the Commerce Department's modification of dual-use export controls for alliance partners [Link],  the US Departemnt of State proposes to amend the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) to support the goals of the AUKUS partnership. The Department is proposing an ITAR amendment in the interest of preparing for a future exemption and obtaining public feedback to shape a final rule following any positive certification.

May 1 the Treasury Department issued sanctions targeting Russia’s military-industrial base and chemical and biological weapons programs,  as well as companies and individuals in third countries that help Russia acquire key inputs for weapons or defense-related production. The action includes nearly 60 targets located in Azerbaijan, Belgium, the PRC, Russia, Slovakia, Türkiye, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).  

On 1 May, the U.K. Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) introduced Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), a new form of additional guidance aimed at providing technical support to industry partners and the public. 

The Justice Department, together with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), announced that Williams-Sonoma Inc.  has agreed to a settlement that requires it to pay more than $3 million in civil penalties and stop making false and misleading claims about the origins of its products.

On April 22, 2024, Canada announced the implementation of a Federal Plastic Registry to monitor the types and volumes of plastic products, including plastic packaging used in agriculture and food manufacturing, through their life cycle on the Canadian market. Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) announced the establishment of Federal Plastics Registry to require plastic resin manufacturers, producers of plastic products (including importers), and service providers to report each year, starting in 2025, on the quantity and types of plastic they place on the market and how that plastic moves through the economy.

The New Chairman of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, Rep. John Moolenaar (R-MI) promises to continue the Committee's role as a spotlight, though perhaps with less  candlepower than his predecessor, retiring Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI)