On Wednesday, September 20, the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade held a long-anticipated hearing titled “Reforming the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) to Safeguard U.S. Supply Chains and Combat China.” In their separate opening statements, both Subcommittee Chairman Adrian Smith (R-NE) and Subcommittee Ranking Member Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) highlighted the evolving landscape of … Continue Reading
In September 2023, select leaders participating in the G20 Summit announced plans to develop the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC). The project aims to develop two integrated corridors – one connecting India to the Arabian Gulf, and one connecting the Arabian Gulf to Europe – with new ship-to-rail transit networks, undersea telecommunication cables, and a … Continue Reading
On August 4, 2022, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), as the Chair of the Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force (FLETF), formally published the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) Entity List. The Entity list is a consolidated register of the four lists required to be developed and maintained pursuant to Section 2(d)(2)(B) of the UFLPA. … Continue Reading
On August 2, 2022, Senators Bob Menendez (D-New Jersey) and Marco Rubio (R-Florida) introduced the Sanctioning Supporters of Slave Labor Act, legislation that would expand the categories of persons that could be sanctioned under the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020 (UHRPA). Rep. Jim Banks (R-Indiana) filed a companion in the House of Representatives. Read full … Continue Reading
On December 23, 2021, President Biden signed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) into law. The Act creates a rebuttable presumption that “any goods, wares, articles, and merchandise mined, produced, or manufactured wholly or in part in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China” (or by an entity included on … Continue Reading
Last week, the Senate made significant procedural headway, in coordination with the House, to advance into a formal conference on the “Bipartisan Innovation Act” (BIA), merging the House-passed America COMPETES Act with the Senate-passed United States Innovation and Competition Act (USICA). This development occurred after weeks of pre-conferencing discussions by staff among some of the … Continue Reading
For the first time, the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) will make its existing financing programs available to export-oriented domestic manufacturing facilities and infrastructure projects. The Make More in America Initiative was unanimously approved by the EXIM Board of Directors in April 2022, and had support from the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), … Continue Reading
On December 14, 2021, lawmakers in the House and Senate announced that they had reached an agreement on compromise language for a bill known as the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act or “UFLPA.” Different versions of this measure passed the House and the Senate earlier this year, but lawmakers and Congressional staff have been working to reconcile … Continue Reading
On Wednesday, October 6, Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) released the Fostering Overseas Rule of Law and Environmentally Sound Trade (FOREST) Act, which seeks to reduce commodity-driven illegal deforestation around the world. The legislation creates a risk-based framework for improving transparency in companies’ global supply chains; provides … Continue Reading
Update: Defense industrial base, comments due 10/13/2021 The Department of Defense is seeking comments (both generally and in response to specific questions) focused on four topics identified by the agency: select kinetic capabilities, energy storage/batteries, microelectronics, and castings and forgings.… Continue Reading
