{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/new-senate-permanent-subcommittee-on-investigations-majority-staff-report-exposes-failure-to-stop-us-technology-from-fueling-russias-war-machine-and-chinas-ai-arms-race", "New Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations Majority Staff Report Exposes Failure to Stop U.S. Technology from Fueling Russia's War Machine and China's AI Arms Race", "2024-12-18", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "CT", "Richard Blumenthal", "B001277", "www.blumenthal.senate.gov", "blumenthal", "https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press", "scraper", "[WASHINGTON, DC] \u2013 U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Chair of the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI), released a Majority staff report revealing how the Department of Commerce\u2019s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) has failed to enforce semiconductor export controls, leading to the continued appearance of American-manufactured technology in Russian weapons used in the war in Ukraine and in China\u2019s Artificial Intelligence systems. PSI\u2019s investigation has uncovered how chronic underfunding has undercut the BIS\u2019s ability to fulfill a key national security function\u2014forcing the agency to rely on laughably outdated technology to trace increasingly sophisticated distribution networks. Today\u2019s report stresses the need for additional resources and enforcement action to strengthen our national security and protect against diversion of U.S.-made technology by Russia and China.\n\n\u201cOur present sanction system is a sieve\u2014enabling an illicit flow of technology to Russia that fuels its murderous war on Ukraine,\" said Blumenthal. \"An aggressive crackdown is urgent to make export controls effective against both Russia and China. Lack of resources and effort make current controls a mockery. My PSI investigation calls for an overhaul of sanctions enforcement to protect our national security and technological dominance. I\u2019m calling on the Department of Commerce to take immediate action and crack down on the companies allowing U.S.-made semiconductors to power Russian weapons and Chinese ambition.\u201d\n\nIn September 2023, PSI initiated an inquiry to better understand the prevalence of American-manufactured microchips in Russian weapons systems despite export controls implemented to block Russia from accessing U.S. technology. Earlier this year, PSI Majority staff released a report revealing the U.S.-based semiconductor manufacturers\u2019 laissez-faire attitude toward export control compliance. Today, PSI is releasing its final Majority staff report in the Subcommittee\u2019s inquiry into the U.S. technology fueling Russia\u2019s war machine. A summary of PSI\u2019s key findings is below.\n\nCongress has not provided BIS with adequate funding to fulfill its mission.\n\nBIS\u2019s workload and responsibilities tied to national security have drastically increased since 2010, but its funding has remained mostly stagnant.\n\nBIS lacks funding to conduct enough international end-use checks, a critical tool in enforcing export controls. This has resulted in limited end-use checks in countries that (1) are known to have entities engaged in transshipment of semiconductors to Russia, and (2) were identified in the Subcommittee\u2019s September 10, 2024 report as having substantial increases in imports of U.S.-manufactured semiconductors in 2022 and 2023.\n\nBIS\u2019s core IT systems were created in 2006 and have received only patchwork fixes in the nearly two decades since. BIS cannot afford the modern IT infrastructure needed to analyze the full range of data available to combat efforts at export control diversion.\n\nBIS has failed to fully use its existing authority to enforce export controls.\n\nThe Export Administration Regulations (EAR) and Export Control Reform Act of 2018 (ECRA) give BIS robust and unique powers to implement and enforce export controls. Despite its significant authority, BIS does not require that semiconductor companies\u2019 export control programs contain any specific components.\n\nBIS has never brought significant penalties against companies for violating export controls even when companies knew there was a high probability that the transaction breached or could lead to a breach of the law.\n\nIn a letter to Commerce Secretary Raimondo, Blumenthal referred PSI\u2019s findings and recommendations to the agency and urged BIS to take immediate enforcement action. In his letter, Blumenthal also called on the agency to take steps that ensure these efforts continue in the next administration. Today\u2019s report and letter underscoring the consequences of an underfunded and weakened BIS come as the incoming Trump administration eyes across agency budget cuts. Blumenthal\u2019s letter to Secretary Raimondo is available here. The full staff report detailing PSI\u2019s findings is available here.\n\n-30-", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/new-senate-permanent-subcommittee-on-investigations-majority-staff-report-exposes-failure-to-stop-us-technology-from-fueling-russias-war-machine-and-chinas-ai-arms-race"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.548693049699068, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}