Through a series of recently issued general licenses, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has relaxed its Venezuela Sanctions Regulations (VSR) to create a critical pathway for...more
2/23/2026
/ Compliance Management Systems ,
Contract Negotiations ,
Contract Terms ,
Due Diligence ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Foreign Investment ,
General Licenses ,
Investment ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Oil & Gas ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Risk Management ,
Sanctions ,
U.S. Treasury ,
Venezuela
On Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in Learning Resources, Inc. et al v. Trump, ruling 6-3 that the President exceeded his statutory authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA)....more
2/23/2026
/ Court of International Trade ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
Executive Orders ,
Imports ,
International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) ,
International Trade ,
Learning Resources Inc v Trump ,
Refunds ,
SCOTUS ,
Section 232 ,
Section 301 ,
Tariffs ,
Trade Act of 1974 ,
Trump Administration ,
US Trade Policies
Trump administration authorizes transactions involving Venezuelan oil sector, but subject to detailed conditions to align with U.S. policy objectives. Companies seeking to do business with Venezuela should confirm that their...more
2/2/2026
/ Contract Terms ,
Due Diligence ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Policy ,
General Licenses ,
Hydrocarbons ,
International Trade ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Oil & Gas ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Trump Administration ,
U.S. Treasury ,
Venezuela
In the new year, the U.S. Department of Justice’s corporate enforcement and investigative efforts will focus on customs and trade enforcement, immigration, and export controls....more
1/13/2026
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
China ,
Criminal Investigations ,
Customs ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
Cybersecurity ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Energy Sector ,
Export Controls ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) ,
Immigration Enforcement ,
Immigration Procedures ,
International Trade ,
Latin America ,
Popular ,
Technology Sector
The recent arrest and arraignment of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has profound legal and economic implications, particularly within the oil and gas sector. The Venezuelan oil sector is now in a state of disrepair due...more
1/7/2026
/ Arbitration ,
Bilateral Investment Treaties ,
Debt Restructuring ,
Dispute Resolution ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Investment ,
Infrastructure ,
International Arbitration ,
Investment ,
Investment Disputes ,
Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Oil & Gas ,
Restructuring ,
Trump Administration ,
U.S. Treasury ,
Venezuela
Interesting to see USTR pivoting – or at least considering pivoting – towards a legislative strategy to ensure the durability of the trade deals it has negotiated this year....more
12/12/2025
/ Executive Orders ,
International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) ,
International Trade ,
New Legislation ,
Proposed Legislation ,
SCOTUS ,
Tariffs ,
Trade Agreements ,
Trade Relations ,
Trump Administration ,
US Trade Policies ,
USTR
Two days ago, on Sunday, October 26, the White House announced that the United States has concluded trade agreements with Cambodia (Agreement Between the United States of America and the Kingdom of Cambodia on Reciprocal...more
10/29/2025
/ Cambodia ,
Countervailing Duties ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Export Controls ,
International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) ,
International Labor Laws ,
International Trade ,
Malaysia ,
National Security ,
Tariffs ,
Trade Agreements ,
Trade Relations ,
Trump Administration ,
US Trade Policies ,
USTR ,
WTO
Today, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) initiated an investigation under section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 into China's implementation of commitments under the Phase One Agreement, which was negotiated...more
10/27/2025
/ China ,
Dispute Resolution ,
International Trade ,
International Trade Disputes ,
Section 301 ,
Tariffs ,
Trade Act of 1974 ,
Trade Agreements ,
Trade Relations ,
Trump Administration ,
US Trade Policies ,
USTR
Baker Botts was proud once again to partner with Rice University’s Baker Institute Center for Energy Studies (CES) for the 9th Annual Energy Summit, held October 7–8 in Houston. This year’s theme — “Resilience in Energy...more
10/23/2025
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Clean Energy ,
Energy Policy ,
Energy Sector ,
Infrastructure ,
International Trade ,
Investment ,
Natural Gas ,
Nuclear Power ,
Oil & Gas ,
Renewable Energy ,
Supply Chain ,
Tariffs
Last week saw a flurry of new activity around section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. That is the statute that authorizes the President (following an investigation by the Commerce Department) to take action to...more
Last Wednesday, September 17, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) published in the Federal Register a notice inviting comment on the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), the successor to the North...more
9/25/2025
/ Canada ,
Comment Period ,
International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) ,
International Trade ,
Labor Regulations ,
Labor Relations ,
Mexico ,
National Security ,
Section 232 ,
Tariffs ,
United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) ,
US Trade Policies ,
USTR
On July 31, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order modifying the reciprocal tariff rates for certain countries that have goods trade deficits with the United States (the “Tariff Executive Order”). The Tariff...more
8/4/2025
/ Customs and Border Protection ,
De Minimus Quantity Exemption ,
Executive Orders ,
Imports ,
International Trade ,
Popular ,
Section 232 ,
Supply Chain ,
Tariffs ,
United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) ,
US Trade Policies
In May 2025, the Treasury Department, as chair of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), announced a new “fast track process to facilitate greater investment in U.S. businesses from ally and partner...more
7/21/2025
/ CFIUS ,
China ,
Compliance ,
Executive Orders ,
Fast Track Process ,
Foreign Investment ,
Foreign Policy ,
Investment ,
National Security ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Risk Management ,
Trump Administration ,
U.S. Treasury