More countries are using cryptocurrencies to evade U.S. sanctions, a troubling trend that could damage U.S. sanctions regimes if not managed correctly, sanctions experts told Congress this week. The experts said lawmakers should provide more funding to the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control to address the issue and should push for more public-private partnerships to help OFAC target cryptocurrency users.

Companies involved in export controlled technology should be careful not to violate anti-discrimination regulations in their job postings, which have become “low-hanging fruit” for U.S. enforcement officials, trade lawyers said. The lawyers said many companies subject to deemed export regulations inadvertently advertise that only U.S. citizens can apply for their job posting, which could invite penalties from the Justice Department.

Members of Congress told the Federal Maritime Commission that they are hearing again and again about exporters being denied the opportunity to send their goods across the water, either directly, or with last-minute cancellations or unreasonable expectations on time to load, and so they asked why the FMC cannot solve these problems.

Although the U.S. will likely have to separate from China in certain technology sectors, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said she is concerned trade tensions could lead to a broader economic decoupling that could stymie technology innovation and damage the competitiveness of U.S. companies. “Our conflict with China could result in growing decoupling of technologies,” Yellen told the Senate Finance Committee June 16. “But I worry that if we are too broad in our policies in terms of how we approach this, we can lose the benefits that come from having globally integrated technology systems where advances in one country benefit countries worldwide.”

Republican lawmakers again threatened to remove export control responsibilities from the Commerce Department if it doesn’t move faster to issue restrictions over emerging and foundational technologies, doubling down on criticism levied at agency officials for months. The latest threat, sent in a June 15 letter to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and signed by 10 Republican senators, highlights the tension between an agency that wants to avoid rushing into overbroad controls that could harm U.S. companies and lawmakers who say Commerce is neglecting a congressional mandate to restrict sensitive exports to China.

Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with the top stories for June 7-11 in case you missed them. You can find any article by searching on the title or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.

The Biden administration emphasized how reaching an agreement to end a 17-year-dispute over government subsidies to both Airbus and Boeing does more than just lift tariffs for at least five years. They see the most significant plank of the agreement as the one in which European Union countries agree to prevent foreign investments in the aerospace sector that are done to acquire technology or know-how, and to counter investments by European aerospace companies in China or other countries that are done in response to incentives or because the investments are a condition to sell in that market.

Following reports that China is continuing to buy U.S.-made DNA equipment despite U.S. export restrictions, Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, said the Bureau of Industry and Security needs to strengthen its controls.

The Commerce Department published its spring 2021 regulatory agenda for the Bureau of Industry and Security, including two new mentions of emerging technology rules and new export controls on certain camera systems.

The Commerce Department is working with a police agency in rural Texas to help investigate illegally exported goods, an unorthodox relationship that has sparked concern among industry lawyers and led to disputed seizures.