House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI), Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-TX) issued a joint statement yesterday on tax reform in which they announced that the controversial proposal for
July 2017
House Passes Bill for Additional Sanctions Against Iran, Russia and North Korea
On July 25, the House of Representatives passed legislation that would impose additional sanctions on Iran, North Korea and Russia. The bill would increase sanctions on those involved in Iran’s human rights abuses, its support for terrorism, as well as its ballistic missile program. For Russia, the bill would ensure that existing economic sanctions remain…
NAFTA Renegotiations to Begin on August 16
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has announced that the first round of renegotiation of the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) will occur August 16-20, 2017 in Washington, D.C. Reportedly, the plan is to hold seven rounds of talks at three-week intervals, at alternating sites among the three countries, with a goal…
Trump Administration Again Certifies that Iran Is in Compliance With JCPOA Terms
The Trump administration has again certified that Iran is in compliance with the terms of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), an international agreement to curtail Iran’s development of nuclear weapons. This certification to Congress must occur every 90 days and followed confirmation by the international monitors and other signatories to the JCPOA that…
OFAC and State Department Sanction 18 Additional Iranian Entities/Persons
Almost immediately after the Trump administration’s announcement that Iran was in compliance with the terms of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and the State Department designated an additional 18 Iranian entities and individuals for engaging in activities supporting Iran’s continued testing of…
USTR Releases Summary of Objectives for NAFTA Renegotiation
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer has released a detailed and comprehensive summary of the negotiating objectives for the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). In a brief statement upon the release, Lighthizer stated that the Trump administration will seek an agreement “that reduces the U.S. trade deficit and is fair for…
