Sen. Cotton Wants BIS Moved From Commerce to State Dept

The Bureau of Industry and Security is buried within an organization “hostile to the aggressive use of export controls,” and should be moved from the Commerce Department to the State Department, which puts national security first, said Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., Thursday during a Reagan Presidential Foundation program. Cotton wants the Office of Foreign Assets Control (see 2102190012) expanded and sanctions applied to those who steal intellectual property from U.S. firms and to those companies that profit from that theft. “Huawei has been effectively cut off from most high-end U.S. chips; the United States should ensure ZTE is cut off, as well. When the next Huawei or ZTE arises, the government should deal with it in the same manner,” he wrote. He said the U.S. should aim to bankrupt Huawei and ZTE through further sanctions and cut them off from the U.S. financial system. Cotton, who co-sponsored the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors for America Act (see 2102180023), said work is underway to fund the act. Commerce, Huawei, ZTE and the Chinese Embassy didn't comment Friday.