President Donald Trump signed a bill on Aug. 19 that aims to improve national security and transparency of the export control system by increasing oversight of American-made technologies being shipped to foreign nations.
The bill, the Maintaining American Superiority by Improving Export Control Transparency Act, amends the Export Control Reform Act of 2018 and requires Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to report annually to Congress on applications for dual-use export licenses.
Goods are deemed “dual-use” items when they have both commercial and military or proliferation applications, and relatively few require export licenses before shipment, according to the Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security. Examples include nuclear technology, chemicals, navigation and avionics technology, aerospace propulsion systems, computers, and lasers.
Originally introduced by Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas), the legislation authorizes “disclosures to Congress of each export control license application, clarifying the applicant, the recipient, the decision made, and the compliance measures implemented to uphold U.S. export regulations.”
The goal is to promote transparency in the U.S. export control process for American-made goods and technology sent overseas.
“This bill delivers targeted safeguards to keep advanced, American-made technologies out of the hands of our foreign adversaries such as China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea, and my bill reinforces President Trump’s mission to strengthen our strategic advantage in an increasingly dangerous world,” Jackson said in a July statement.
In March, ahead of the bill’s passage in the House, Jackson said: “The growing threat and cooperation of adversarial nations only underscore the importance of ensuring greater transparency and accountability in America’s export control process.
“This legislation is essential to equipping Congress with the tools necessary to support President Trump’s mission to fortify our national security while ensuring America remains at the forefront of technological innovation.”
Sen. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), who co-sponsored the Senate version of the bill with Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), said, “Our export controls too often fail to prevent sensitive American technology from being sold to firms tied to the Chinese military.”
The legislation prevents “American technologies from falling into the hands of our adversaries … protects American tech from China, and puts our national security first,” Banks said.
Jackson’s Democratic co-sponsor in the House, Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.), said the bill ensures “more transparency around what the United States exports from nuclear materials to chemicals to high-end technology.”
