The Department of Commerce has announced a funding opportunity through the 2023 Market Development Cooperator Program (MDCP) to support projects aimed at generating U.S. exports, addressing trade barriers, enhancing industry competitiveness, and creating American jobs. The program will provide up to $300,000 per project to eligible non-profit industry groups and other entities.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and six of her colleagues have sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Katherine Tai and Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, expressing concerns about the impact of including skewed digital trade rules in the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF). The lawmakers argue that these rules could hinder the U.S. government's ability to promote competition, regulate AI, and protect consumer and worker privacy. They are also urging the USTR to prioritize transparency during IPEF negotiations.
The G7 Enforcement Coordination Mechanism met on Wednesday to discuss ways to tighten the sanctions and export controls against Russia. Action items were prepared for consideration by G7 Leadership during next mont's summit in Canada.
U.S. Commercial Service will host a number of export sessions during the week of May 1-5, 2023. The sessions, led by both private and public sector experts, will feature tradecraft programs and industry focused opportunities
Friday, the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) met under the chairmanship of Petter Ølberg (Norway) to discuss several ongoing disputes. The European Union blocked Indonesia's request to …
Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has sanctioned three individuals for providing support to North Korea through illicit financing and malicious cyber activity.
The State Department has released its annual report to Congress on direct commercial sales authorizations for fiscal year 2022.
Deputy Trade Representative María L. Pagán attended the World Trade Organization's (WTO) second "Fish Week" from April 25 to April 28, 2023, where she conveyed the U.S. position on the remaining issues in the second phase of negotiations of the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies.
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo has announced the seven members of the U.S. Section of the U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC) Talent for Growth Task Force.
The Commerce Department's International Trade Administration has announced a trade mission to Canada and Mexico, scheduled from September 17–22, 2023.
A second conspirator has been arrested in a scheme to launder funds for the fugitive "Gas King of Ukraine," Sergey Kurchenko, through a Florida metals service center.
The US Department of State is removing certain high-energy storage capacitors from the United States Munitions List (USML) as they are widely available internationally and do not provide a critical military or intelligence advantage.
Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has imposed sanctions on four senior officials of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Intelligence Organization (IRGC-IO) in a groundbreaking move. In addition to the action against Iran, OFAC has implemented the State Department's designation of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) for its involvement in the wrongful detention of U.S. nationals abroad.
The Timber Interdiction Membership Board and Enforcement Resource (TIMBER) Working Group, a new interagency collaboration, was announced at the TIMBER Trafficking Enforcement Roundtable April 19.
A New York attorney has pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit international money laundering in connection to maintaining properties in the U.S. owned by sanctioned Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg. The attorney, Robert Wise of Pelham, New York, admitted to taking part in a scheme that funneled approximately $3.8 million in U.S. dollars to six real properties, valued at around $75 million, on behalf of Vekselberg.
World military spending grew for the eighth consecutive year in 2022, reaching a new high of $2240 billion, according to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). The top three spenders, the United States, China, and Russia, accounted for 56% of the global total.
A West Virginia man pleaded guilty today to a federal felony offense for committing an export fraud violation, according to court documents and statements made during the hearing. Rana Zeeshan Tanveer, of Beckley, admitted in his plea agreement that he knowingly submitted false export valuations for certain items he shipped to Pakistan.
The Justice Department has secured a settlement agreement with Micron Technology Inc. a manufacturer of semiconductor memory and storage products based in Boise, Idaho. The settlement resolves the department’s determination that Micron violated the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) by discriminating against a U.S. citizen when it failed to hire him for a position and instead hired a temporary visa worker.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced today that it has modified import restrictions against a group of companies, jointly known as Smart Glove, after the companies successfully demonstrated their products are no longer produced with forced labor.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has settled violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) with Frank's International, a global oil services company. Between January 2008 and October 2014, Frank's paid commissions to a sales agent in Angola, knowing there was a high probability the agent would use the funds to bribe Angolan government officials on behalf of the company.
