Congressional leaders last week proposed legislation that would strengthen and better coordinate investment screening requirements across North America. The goal: Prevent China from using Mexico and Canada as “backdoors” to move goods into the U.S. Details and the legislation are inside.
Last week, the Senate passed an amendment to the fiscal year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act that addresses outbound investments in China and other matters. The bill, which we covered back in March, is one of many efforts to strengthen and enshrine the outbound investment security program.
A bipartisan pair of Senators has floated a proposal that would direct the U.S. Trade Representative to prioritize North American alignment on foreign investment screening. The proposal would impact the upcoming joint review of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement. Details, proposed solution inside.
Two U.S. representatives proposed a bipartisan bill that would set a 100% tariff on strategic items from China, including critical minerals and dual-use goods. The bill would also require CFIUS to approve all foreign investments involving land or factory creation from adversarial nations. Details inside.
Last week, a bipartisan group of Congressional leaders re-introduced a bill that would prohibit the Department of Transportation from using LiDAR developed by foreign adversaries. The bill is reminiscent of the Commerce Department’s rule on connected vehicles. Details inside.
It was a big week for the House of Representatives, which passed 10 bills on a number of topics. Among those was the Agricultural Risk Review Act, which would, among other things, require CFIUS to consider referrals from the USDA whether certain agricultural land transactions merit greater scrutiny.
A group of Senators has reintroduced legislation that would require an annual update of the list of the military, intelligence, and national laboratory facilities that are designated as sensitive sites for national security purposes. The bill could lead to an increase in facilities under CFIUS’s jurisdiction.
Last week, three U.S. Senators proposed legislation that would give CFIUS “full authority” to review both greenfield and brownfield investments from China and other countries of concern. The bill follows the release of a Presidential memorandum that called for CFIUS to be granted similar powers.
As expected, a group of Senators has proposed legislation that would limit U.S. investments in certain technologies in China, including AI, advanced semiconductors, quantum systems, and hypersonics. The bill is one of several recent moves aimed at strengthening the outbound program.
Two legislative proposals have been introduced in the House and Senate that would impact foreign purchases of agricultural land in the U.S. The bills, which get added to a group of more than a dozen related proposals, take slightly different approaches to regulating foreign acquisition of farmland.
A group of U.S. Senators have floated a bill that would expand CFIUS’s jurisdiction around military installations. Among other things, the bill would include real estate investments by foreign adversaries that are within 50 miles of certain military locations, like training routes. Details inside.
Three U.S. Senators have reintroduced legislation would prevent any Chinese individual or business with ties to the Chinese Communist Party from owning American land. The proposal echoes recent law in Florida, the enforcement of which was later prohibited by a U.S. Court of Appeals. Details inside.
For the eleventh time (at least by our count), Congressional leaders have floated a bill that would add the Secretary of Agriculture to CFIUS. The updated version of The FARM Act would also designate agricultural supply chains as critical infrastructure and critical tech. Details inside.
During the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party’s self-declared “China Week,” the House passed more than two dozen pieces of legislation addressing threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party. The bills included multiple updates to the export control regime. Details inside.
The BioSecure Act appears to be advancing, and may come up for a vote in the fall. The proposal would restrict government contracts with entities that use biotech equipment or services from Chinese “companies of concern.” Details, key provisions, potential “scope creep,” and more are inside.
Last week, three U.S. Representatives proposed a bill that would increase Congressional oversight of CFIUS, and would “help identify loopholes that fall outside the jurisdiction of CFIUS.” The bill would require CFIUS to notify Congress why a transaction was not reviewed. Details, context, impact inside.
A U.S. Senator has introduced a bill that would force CFIUS to respond to inquiries from governors about transactions within state borders. The proposal runs counter to FIRRMA and current practice, and raises questions about the states’ role in national security, just as the states ramp up activity. Details inside.
Well, that didn’t take long. Fresh on the heels of a GAO report about flawed data regarding foreign agricultural transactions in the U.S., a bipartisan group of Congressional leaders have proposed a bill that would improve the tracking of foreign investment in farmland. Details, draft inside.
Last week, a bipartisan group of 43 Congressional leaders delivered a letter to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees, recommending a stronger outbound screening regime. The letter was immediately followed by one from House Finance leaders, questioning the sanity of the move.
Last week, six Republican U.S. Senators introduced legislation that would require CFIUS member agencies to conduct annual reviews of the military, intelligence, and national laboratory facilities that should be considered “sensitive sites” for national security purposes. Details, context, bill inside.