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E.O. blocks property of Afghan bank
On February 11, President Biden issued an Executive Order (E.O.) on Protecting Certain Property of Da Afghanistan Bank [DAB] for the Benefit of the People of Afghanistan. The E.O. generally blocks “[a]ll property and interests in property of DAB that are held, as of the date of this order, in the United States by any United States financial institution, including the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.” The E.O. establishes that “[a]ny transaction that evades or avoids, has the purpose of evading or avoiding, causes a violation of, or attempts to violate any of the prohibitions set forth in this order is prohibited.” Among other things, the order's prohibitions “apply except to the extent provided by statutes, or in regulations, orders, directives, or licenses that may be issued pursuant to this order, and notwithstanding any contract entered into or any license or permit granted before the date of this order.” The E.O. also prohibits any transactions by U.S. persons—or within the U.S—that evade or avoid, have the purpose of evading or avoiding, cause a violation of, or attempt to violate the provisions set forth in the order, as well as any conspiracy to violate any of these prohibitions. Additionally, the Secretary of the Treasury—after consulting with heads of other executive departments as deemed appropriate—is authorized to take actions, including promulgating rules and regulations, to carry out the purposes of the E.O.
Biden nominates three for Fed
On January 14, President Biden nominated Sarah Bloom Raskin to serve as Vice Chair for Supervision for the Federal Reserve Board, and Lisa Cook and Philip Jefferson to serve as Board Governors. Earlier on January 4, Biden also submitted new nominations for Jerome Powell to serve a second term as Chair of the Federal Reserve Board and for Fed Governor Lael Brainard to serve as Vice Chair of the Board of Governors, replacing current Vice Chair Richard H. Clarida. (Covered by InfoBytes here.) If all the nominees are confirmed by the Senate, the Board will include the first Black woman and the fourth Black man and will be majority women. Previously, Raskin served as the Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Treasury where she pursued innovative solutions related to climate risk, cybersecurity, and consumer safeguards in the financial marketplace. Raskin also served as a Fed Governor where she helped conduct the nation’s monetary policy and promoted financial stability. Additionally, Raskin served as the Commissioner of Financial Regulation for the State of Maryland where she and her agency regulated Maryland’s financial institutions, including all state-chartered depository institutions, banks, credit unions, mortgage lenders, mortgage servicers, and trust companies, among others.
Earlier on January 10, Clarida announced his intention to resign from the Federal Reserve Board effective January 14. Clarida has been a member of the Board since September 2018, and his statutory term was set to expire on January 31. Clarida’s announcement follows key regulatory nominations sent to the Senate by Biden on January 4 and 7 (see here and here). Among the recent nominations was a resubmission of Alvara Bedoya to serve as a Democratic commissioner at the FTC after the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation failed to report favorably on Bedoya’s 2021 nomination and it expired at the end of the December session of Congress. If confirmed, Bedoya would fill the FTC commissioner seat vacated by current CFPB Director Rohit Chopra. (Covered by InfoBytes here.)
OFAC sanctions Chinese tech firms
On December 16, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) added eight Chinese companies to OFAC’s Non-SDN Chinese Military-Industrial Complex Companies sanctions list. The eight Chinese technology firms were identified by OFAC pursuant to E.O. 13959, as expanded by E.O. 14032, for “actively support[ing] the biometric surveillance and tracking of ethnic and religious minorities in China.” As previously covered by InfoBytes, last month President Biden extended, for one year, the national emergency declared pursuant to E.O. 13959, as expanded by E.O. 14032, involving securities investments related to Non-SDN Chinese Military-Industrial Complex Companies. Among other things, E.O. 14032 generally prohibits U.S. persons from “the purchase or sale of any publicly traded securities, or any securities that are derivative of such securities, or are designed to provide investment exposure to such securities, of” any such companies.
Additionally, the U.S. Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security issued a final rule, amending the Export Administration Regulations through the addition of 37 new foreign entities to the Entity List after determining the entities have engaged in activities that are “contrary to the foreign policy or national security interests of the United States.” According to OFAC’s announcement, these 37 entities “include 25 PRC entities that contribute to Beijing’s efforts to develop and deploy biotechnology and other technologies for military applications and human rights abuses, including four entities previously identified in E.O. 13959, as amended.”
Biden issues executive order expanding Treasury sanction authority; OFAC issues sanctions pursuant to the Kingpin Act
On December 15, President Biden issued an Executive Order (E.O.), “Imposing Sanctions on Foreign Persons Involved in the Global Illicit Drug Trade.” The E.O. was issued due to the threat of drug trafficking into the U.S of illicit drugs, which “is causing the deaths of tens of thousands of Americans annually, as well as countless more non-fatal overdoses with their own tragic human toll.” Among other provisions, the E.O authorizes the Department of Treasury to impose certain sanctions on any foreign person determined by the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State, the Attorney General, and the Secretary of Homeland Security to have engaged in activities contributing to the international proliferation of drugs or to have knowingly received property derived from drug proliferation.
According to an announcement issued by Treasury, the E.O provides “the Treasury Department with new tools to tackle changes in the global illicit drug trade that substantially contributed to over 100,000 American overdose deaths in the 12-month period ending in April 2021.” Among other things, the E.O. “enhances the Department of Treasury’s authorities to target any foreign person engaged in drug trafficking activities, regardless of whether they are linked to a specific kingpin or cartel” and “enables Treasury to sanction foreign persons who knowingly receive property that constitutes, or is derived from, proceeds of illicit drug trafficking activities.” Under the E.O., Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced sanctions pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act against 10 individuals and 15 entities in 4 countries “for having engaged in, or attempted to engage in, activities or transactions that have materially contributed to, or pose a significant risk of materially contributing to, the international proliferation of illicit drugs or their means of production.”
Biden nominates Sandra L. Thompson as FHFA Director
On December 14, President Biden nominated Sandra L. Thompson to serve as FHFA Director. Thompson has served as acting Director since June following the U.S. Supreme Court’s split decision in Collins v. Yellen, which held that it was unconstitutional for FHFA’s leadership structure to only allow the President to fire the FHFA director for cause. (Covered by InfoBytes here.)
According to the announcement, Thompson’s “over four decades of government experience in financial regulation, risk management, and consumer protection” includes previously serving as Deputy Director of FHFA’s Division of Housing Mission and Goals where she oversaw the agency’s housing and regulatory policy, capital policy, financial analysis, and fair lending space, as well as all mission activities for the GSEs and the Federal Home Loan Banks. Thompson also worked for more than 23 years at the FDIC where she served in a variety of leadership positions. Her most recent position at the FDIC was Director of the Division of Risk Management Supervision. Thompson also led the FDIC’s “examination and enforcement program for risk management and consumer protection at the height of the financial crisis” and “the FDIC’s outreach initiatives in response to a crisis of consumer confidence in the banking system.”
OFAC sanctions corruption networks connected to transnational organized crime
On December 8, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced sanctions against 16 individuals and 24 entities across several countries in Europe and the Western Hemisphere under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, which “targets perpetrators of corruption and serious human rights abuse.” These designations follow actions announced last week targeting corruption in the Democratic Republic of Congo as well as persons that contribute to repression and the undermining of democracy around the world (covered by InfoBytes here and here). OFAC also highlighted the recently released United States Strategy on Countering Corruption, which outlines a whole-of-government approach to elevating the fight against corruption, and places particular “emphasis on the transnational dimensions of the challenges posed by corruption, including by recognizing the ways in which corrupt actors have used the U.S. financial system and other rule-of-law based systems to launder their ill-gotten gains.” (Covered by InfoBytes here.) Organized crime and corruption, which are often linked, OFAC warned, undermine the integrity of the international financial system.
As a result of the sanctions, all property and interests in property belonging to the sanctioned persons subject to U.S. jurisdiction are blocked and must be reported to OFAC. Additionally, “any entities that are owned, directly or indirectly, 50 percent or more by one or more blocked persons are also blocked.” OFAC noted that U.S. persons are prohibited from participating in transactions with these persons, which includes “the making of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of any blocked person or the receipt of any contribution or provision of funds, goods or services from any such person.”
Biden outlines anti-corruption strategy
On December 6, the Biden administration released the United States Strategy on Countering Corruption (Strategy) in response to President Biden’s June Memorandum on Establishing the Fight Against Corruption as a Core United States National Security Interest, which designated the “fight against corruption” as a top priority in preserving national security in the United States. (Covered by InfoBytes here.) According to a fact sheet issued the same day, the comprehensive Strategy is intended to “improve the U.S. Government’s ability to prevent corruption, more effectively combat illicit finance, better hold corrupt actors accountable, and strengthen the capacity of activists, investigative journalists, and others on the front lines of exposing corrupt acts.” To achieve this, the Strategy presents a “whole-of-government approach to elevating the fight against corruption,” including by taking expanded steps to reduce corrupt actors from accessing the U.S. and international financial system to hide assets and lauder proceeds derived from corrupt acts. The Strategy, which discusses enforcement and rulemaking under the FCPA, Bank Secrecy Act, and Corporate Transparency Act, among other statutes, is divided into the following five pillars:
- “Modernizing, coordinating, and resourcing U.S. Government efforts to fight corruption,” including “prioritizing intelligence collection and analysis on corrupt actors and their networks.”
- “Curbing illicit finance” by, among other things, “[i]ssuing beneficial ownership transparency regulations” to identify bad actors and reveal when ill-gotten cash or criminal proceeds is hidden in real estate transactions, as well as cooperating with other counties to strengthen anti-money laundering regimes to increase transparency in the international financial system.
- “Holding corrupt actors accountable” by engaging with partner countries to detect and disrupt foreign bribery, developing “a kleptocracy asset recovery rewards program that will enhance the U.S. Government’s ability to identify and recover stolen assets linked to foreign government corruption that are held at U.S. financial institutions,” and working with the private sector to “encourage[e] the adoption and enforcement of anti-corruption compliance programs by U.S. and international companies.”
- “Preserving and strengthening the multilateral anti-corruption architecture,” including working to implement robust transparency and anti-corruption measures with the G7 and G20 and “target[ing] corruption in finance, acquisition, and human resource functions.”
- “Improving diplomatic engagement and leveraging foreign assistance resources to achieve anti-corruption policy goals” by, among other things, safeguarding government assistance funds from corrupt actors, “[e]xpanding anti-corruption focused U.S. assistance, and monitoring the efficacy of this assistance,” allowing for flexibility within “anti-corruption initiatives and broader assistance efforts to respond to unexpected situations worldwide,” and improving support for independent audit and oversight institutions.
The Strategy will require federal departments and agencies to submit annual reports to President Biden on progress made to achieve its objectives.
Senate confirms Rosenworcel as permanent FCC Chair
On December 7, the U.S. Senate confirmed Jessica Rosenworcel to a five-year term as FCC Chair. As previously covered by InfoBytes, President Biden’s nomination highlighted Rosenworcel’s work at the FCC, where she has focused on addressing illegal robocalls and has worked to enhance consumer protections in the agency’s telecommunications policies. Rosenworcel issued a statement following the confirmation thanking President Biden for the opportunity and saying it is an honor to be confirmed and designated as the first woman to be named permanent Chair of the FCC.
Biden terminates Burundi sanctions
On November 18, President Biden signed Executive Order (E.O.) “Termination of Emergency With Respect to the Situation in Burundi” to terminate a 2015 emergency declared in E.O. 13712 and revoke the authorization of sanctions with respect to Burundi. (See also OFAC’s announcement here.) According to Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo, the steps are a result of changed circumstances and positive political developments and reforms taken by President Ndayishimiye, who continues “to press the Government of Burundi to improve the human rights situation in the country and hold accountable those responsible for violations and abuses.” Adeyemo added that the revocation demonstrates that the U.S. “may ease or remove sanctions when circumstances warrant such an adjustment, including in cases where relevant parties change their behavior.” As a result, all persons previously blocked pursuant solely to the Burundi Sanctions Regulations are now removed from OFAC’s Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List, and all property and interests in property blocked solely pursuant to these regulations are unblocked. Additionally, OFAC will remove the Burundi Sanctions Regulations from the Code of Federal Regulations in the future. However, “[p]ending or future OFAC enforcement investigations or actions related to apparent violations of the Burundi Sanctions Regulations that occurred while E.O. 13712 was in effect may still be carried out,” Treasury stated.
Chamber of Commerce requests access to FTC privacy-related communications
On November 19, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce sent FOIA requests to the FTC seeking, among other things, communications on consumer data privacy policies the FTC has discussed or considered as ordered by President Biden’s broad July 9 executive order, which tasked the FTC with establishing rules to address concerns about “unfair data collection and surveillance practices that may damage competition, consumer autonomy, and consumer privacy.” (Covered by InfoBytes here.) The Chamber is seeking all communications between FTC Chair and Commissioner Lina Khan and former commissioner Rohit Chopra related to the FTC’s Penalty Offense Authority and/or enforcement policy statements addressing privacy-related topics, as well as communications with the Center on Privacy and Technology at Georgetown Law. As previously covered by InfoBytes, the Center’s founder, Alvaro Bedoya, was nominated in September by President Biden to serve as an FTC commissioner. With respect to the requests for records related to the FTC’s Penalty Offense Authority, over the past few months the FTC has issued several warnings using its Penalty Offense Authority related to false money-making claims, misleading online endorsements, and unlawful for-profit education institution practices. (Covered by InfoBytes here, here, and here.) Among other things, the FOIA letters also request all records related to artificial intelligence, including communications between the FTC and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and/or the CFPB.