In furtherance of President Trump’s 8 May 2018 announcement that the United States would withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal—the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)—on 27 June 2018, the U.S. Department of Treasury’s...more
Driven by concerns of China’s acquisition of advanced U.S. technologies, the U.S. Congress is set to enact the most significant reform to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) in over a decade....more
6/29/2018
/ CFIUS ,
China ,
Covered Transactions ,
Emerging Technology Companies ,
FIRRMA ,
Foreign Investment ,
Legislative Agendas ,
National Security ,
Passive Investments ,
Pending Legislation ,
Trump Administration
On 15 June 2018 the United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced the imposition of additional 25 percent tariffs (i.e., a 25 percent tax) on US$34 billion in annual imports from China. The new duties will be effective...more
Today, the Trump Administration designated multiple Russian targets, including several wealthy individuals and their companies, as Specially Designated Nationals (SDNs). These designations of major companies represent the...more
As potential trade war looms, nearly 1,300 U.S.-imports may be subject to additional 25 percent tariffs under Section 301.
U.S. imports from China potentially subject to additional duties include certain chemicals,...more
4/9/2018
/ Aluminum Sales ,
China ,
Foreign Relations ,
Global Market ,
Imports ,
National Security ,
Steel Industry ,
Tariffs ,
Trade Relations ,
Trump Administration ,
US Trade Policies ,
USTR
On 12 March 2018, President Trump issued an order blocking the proposed hostile takeover of Qualcomm Incorporated, a semiconductor and telecommunications equipment company headquartered in California, by Broadcom Limited, a...more
On Monday, 29 January, the U.S. Treasury Department submitted an unclassified report to Congress concerning significant senior political figures and oligarchs in the Russian Federation and Russian parastatal entities.
...more
On December 20, 2017, President Trump issued Executive Order 13818 implementing the Global Magnitsky Act, and the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued the first designations responsive to this statute.
...more
This client alert updates readers on the introduction of legislation in the US Congress that, if enacted, would result in significant changes to CFIUS, the U.S. government interagency committee that conducts national security...more
On 9 November 2017, the Trump Administration implemented new regulations to support its change to U.S. policy on Cuba. The U.S. Government has created a new Cuba Restricted List administered by the State Department. Through...more
On 27 October, the U.S. Department of State published guidance with respect to Russia’s Defense and Intelligence sectors under section 231 of the Countering America’s Adversaries The Sanctions Act (CAATSA). Section 231...more
Yesterday, on October 12, 2017, the U.S. permanently revoked most sanctions against Sudan. This lifting represents the completion of a process that began in January 2017, and was extended in July 2017. ...more
10/13/2017
/ Agricultural Sector ,
Banking Sector ,
Charitable Organizations ,
Commerce Control List ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Export Controls ,
Medical Devices ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
SDN List ,
State Sponsors of Terrorism ,
Sudan ,
Universities
Press reports indicate that President Trump intends to “de-certify” the Iran nuclear deal this week. In practical terms, that means he would refuse to re-certify one or more statutory elements of a law passed by the U.S....more
Effective August 25, 2017, President Trump issued a new Executive Order, (the Order), which targets the Government of Venezuela’s (GOV) and Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A.’s (PdVSA) ability to access capital from the United...more
On Tuesday, July 25, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 3364, the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act by a vote of 419-3.
There is some uncertainty, but the legislation is expected to be...more
Last week, the U.S. Senate acted to pass both new Iran and Russia sanctions by large bipartisan margins. The House of Representatives has not yet acted on either piece of legislation. We anticipate that Congress will...more
6/21/2017
/ Cybersecurity ,
Human Rights ,
Iran ,
Iran Sanctions ,
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) ,
Mining ,
Nuclear Weapons ,
Pending Legislation ,
Railways ,
Russia ,
Shipping ,
Terrorist Threats
On Friday, 16 June 2017, President Trump made his first major foray into U.S. - Cuban relations since assuming office. While it was a radical departure in tone from his predecessor, the changes he announced appear to leave...more
On June 7, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said publicly that Congress should pass legislation to amend the authorizing statute for the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), a U.S. Government...more
On May 18, 2017, U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer formally notified Congress of the Trump Administration's intent to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with Mexico and Canada. The...more
5/26/2017
/ Canada ,
Countervailing Duties ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Exports ,
Free Trade Agreements ,
Imports ,
Mexico ,
NAFTA ,
Trade Relations ,
Trans-Pacific Partnership ,
Trump Administration ,
USTR
On Thursday, May 18, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin waded further publicly into efforts on Capitol Hill to amend the authorizing statute underlying the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. (CFIUS), a U.S....more
While much attention has been focused on the Trump Administration's recent actions targeting imports of metals, lumber, and other commodities, the Administration has also steadily ramped up its activities in the trade...more
5/1/2017
/ Chemical Weapons ,
Executive Orders ,
Exports ,
Exxon Mobil ,
Imports ,
Iran ,
Iran Sanctions ,
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) ,
National Security ,
Offshore Drilling ,
Oil & Gas ,
Russia ,
Syria ,
Trump Administration ,
U.S. Treasury
Congressional efforts to reform the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), a U.S. Government interagency committee that conducts national security reviews, continue apace. This week saw the introduction...more
Lawmakers in both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate are examining ways to restrict Chinese investment in the United States by reforming national security reviews conducted by the Committee on Foreign Investment in...more
On 24 June 2016, the Republican Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Paul Ryan, and House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady released a sweeping "Blueprint" proposal to reform the U.S. tax code. A critical component...more
On Friday, February 3, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced it was designating 25 entities and individuals as Specially Designated Nationals (SDNs) for their involvement in...more
2/14/2017
/ Foreign Policy ,
Iran ,
Iran Sanctions ,
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) ,
National Security ,
Nuclear Weapons ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Procurement Guidelines ,
SDN List ,
Terrorist Threats ,
Trump Administration ,
U.S. Treasury ,
WMD