Both the Senate and House this week passed the Chips Act of 2022 (H.R. 4346) by comfortable bipartisan margins, sending it to the desk of President Joseph Biden for signature and enactment. The Act seeks to address that fact that only about 12% of semiconductor chips are currently manufactured in the United States and provides…

On July 14, 2022, the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued General License (GL) 44 authorizing transactions ordinarily incident and necessary to the exportation, reexportation, sale, or supply, directly or indirectly, from the United States, or by a United States person, wherever located, of tax preparation or filing services to any…

On July 14, 2022, the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued General License (GL) 30A authorizing transactions through December 16, 2022 involving SEFE Securing Energy for Europe GmbH (formerly known as Gazprom Germania GmbH) or any entity in which SEFE Securing Energy for Europe GmbH owns, directly or indirectly, a 50…

On July 14, 2022, the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) released a food security fact sheet on Russian sanctions and agricultural trade and an amended General License (GL) 6B to broaden the scope of the authorizations relating to transactions involving agricultural and medical products. The Department’s press release emphasized that “[a]gricultural…

On July 7, 2022, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued Venezuela-related General License 40A, “Authorizing Certain Transactions Involving the Exportation or Reexportation of Liquefied Petroleum Gas to Venezuela.”  This general license continues authorization of all transactions and activities related to the exportation or reexportation, directly or indirectly, of…

On July 6, 2022, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) issued a notice seeking public comments to assist in the development of a forced labor trade strategy. The notice indicates that the strategy “will identify priorities and establish an action plan for utilizing existing and potential new trade tools to combat forced labor…

On June 28, 2022, The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned 70 entities and 29 individuals involved in Russia’s defense industrial base.  In addition, the Department of State impose visa restrictions on 511 Russian military officers, and sanctioned an additional 45 entities and 29 individuals.  The designations and placement of…

On June 28, 2022, the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) issued a Final Rule placing 36 entities on the Entity List for engaging in activities contrary to the national security or foreign policy interests of the United States. These entities will be listed on the BIS Entity List under the destinations…

On June 28, 2022, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), in consultation with the Departments of Commerce and State, issued a determination prohibiting gold imports from Russia, the country’s largest non-energy export, effective immediately. According to the determination, gold imports of Russian Federation origin are prohibited, except to the extent…

During meetings among the G7 leaders on June 28, 2022, President Joseph Biden and the other G7 leaders committed to a “unified approach to confront” China’s trade-distorting industrial directives.  According to a White House Fact Sheet, such actions will include:

  • sharing insights and best practices to identify, monitor and minimize vulnerabilities and logistic bottlenecks

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