The Department of Commerce’s (“Commerce”) Bureau of Industry & Security (“BIS”) recently issued requests for comment on risks to the information communications and technology (“ICT”) and semiconductor supply chains. These comments are being requested as part of the U.S. government’s broader review of supply chain vulnerabilities (see here, here, and here).
ICT
On September 13, the Biden Administration announced ten nominations to various agencies, including Maria “Marisa” Lago for Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade at the Department of Commerce (“Commerce”) and Elaine Trevino for Chief Agricultural Negotiator at the U.S. Trade Representative (“USTR”).
On August 20, 2021, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”) issued Cargo Systems Messaging Service (“CSMS”) message # 49132200 addressing documentation requirements for import shipments valued over $2,500 to qualify for the duty-free “U.S. and Foreign Origin Goods Returned” preferential tariff provision under HTSUS Subheading 9801.00.10.
During the past month, the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) has issued three separate rounds of Specially Designated Nationals & Blocked Persons List (“SDN List”) designations in order to support protests in Cuba that began on July 11th. Further, OFAC and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and
On August 9, 2021, President Biden issued Executive Order 14038 (the “EO”) which expanded the scope of the national emergency previously declared in EO 13405 of June 16, 2006. The EO imposes additional sanctions in response to conduct by the Government of Belarus (“GoB”) and the President Alyaksandr Lukashenka regime which the Biden Administration described
As part of the U.S. Government’s ongoing response to the military coup in Burma (Myanmar), the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”) added four entities to the Entity List effective July 6, 2021 and the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) added twenty-two individuals to the Specially Designated Nationals
Earlier this month, the US Government updated its ongoing response to what the Department of Commerce (“Commerce”) described as “Beijing’s campaign of repression, mass detention, and high-technology surveillance against Uyghurs, Kazakhs, and members of other Muslim minority groups in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Regions of China (“XUAR”), where the [People’s Republic of China] continues to
On January 23, 2020, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”) and the U.S. Department of State issued two final rules, available here and here. The final rules outlined the removal of specifically-identified firearms, ammunition, accessories, and associated technical data from the United States Munitions List (“USML”) and the creation
Recently, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) sanctioned various individuals and entities connected to Russia’s technology sector and also expanded sanctions against dealings in Russian sovereign debt. In addition to these immediate actions, President Biden also issued a new Executive Order which will significantly expand OFAC’s authority to impose future sanctions
The Department of Defense (“DoD”) requested industry comments by April 28, 2021 to assist with the DoD’s forthcoming report identifying risks and policy recommendations regarding the supply chain for strategic and critical materials. The Apr. 13, 2021 Federal Register notice notes “the need for resilient, diverse, and secure supply chains to ensure U.S. economic prosperity