The Trump administration has endorsed the AUKUS defense pact with the United Kingdom and Australia, keeping intact plans to transfer Virginia-class nuclear submarines to Canberra beginning in 2032, …

The Trump administration is preparing a multibillion-dollar bailout for U.S. soybean farmers facing collapsing export demand from China, reviving a strategy first deployed during the trade war six years ago. The administration is reportedly weighing at least $10 billion in aid, with some Republican lawmakers pushing for a figure closer to $20 billion.

A significant share of U.S. companies remain ill-equipped to manage fast-growing national security compliance risks, according to Eversheds Sutherland’s 2025 U.S. National Security Compliance Risk and Readiness Report. The survey of more than 100 executives and in-house legal leaders across key industries revealed that more than one in three companies are not fully prepared to address critical vulnerabilities, and nearly a quarter cannot clearly articulate their national security risk profile.

The Justice Department has dismissed two of its most experienced national security prosecutors in the Eastern District of Virginia (EDVA), one of the nation’s premier venues for terrorism and intelligence cases.

The federal shutdown has left large portions of the Commerce Department shuttered, while the State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC) has suspended nearly all licensing activity. The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), however, will continue most enforcement and "emergency" functions.

At least 15 inspector general (IG) websites, including Oversight.gov, were taken offline this week after the White House blocked funding for the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE).  

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Tuesday that the Trump administration views the current average 55 percent tariffs on Chinese imports as a “good status quo,” while also seeking opportunities to expand bilateral trade in select sectors. “Whether we win or lose at the Supreme Court, regardless of the situation we face, this is how we should think about trade going forward. This is the structure.”

The White House on Thursday unveiled what it called a framework to “save TikTok while protecting national security,” with President Trump certifying that ByteDance has undertaken a “qualified divestiture” of the app’s U.S. operations.

World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on Wednesday welcomed Beijing’s decision to relinquish its claim to special and differential treatment (S&DT) in future WTO negotiations, calling the move a “pivotal moment” for the global trading system.

The Commerce Department  has launched two national security investigations under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, targeting imports of medical products and industrial machinery. The notices, published today in the Federal Register, invite public comments within 21 days.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke L. Rollins and Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Luke J. Lindberg announced a new three-part initiative last week to boost U.S. farm exports and support producers hit by collapsing sales to China and rising input costs.

The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) has released The Year in Trade 2024, its annual survey of developments in U.S. trade laws, trade agreements, and global economic relations. The report, submitted to Congress under section 163(c) of the Trade Act of 1974, is the 76th in a series providing one of the government’s most comprehensive accounts of trade policy and enforcement.

The Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security have launched a new Trade Fraud Task Force to step up enforcement against importers accused of evading tariffs and smuggling prohibited goods.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti pledged vigorous enforcement against trade fraud and foreign bribery in remarks delivered at the Global Investigations Review Annual Meeting.

Representative Michael McCaul (R-Texas), the former chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, announced he will step down at the end of his current term, ending a two-decade tenure in Congress.

Washington’s strategy to curb China’s access to advanced semiconductors is increasingly being met with countermeasures that appear to accelerate, rather than contain, Beijing’s drive toward self-reliance. In a commentary Friday, former Morgan Stanley Asia chairman Stephen Roach declared that “America has failed to contain Chinese innovation,” citing both Huawei’s rollout of a new three-year artificial intelligence strategy and China’s first-ever entry into the Top 10 of the Global Innovation Index.

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the administration is considering tapping tariff revenues to deliver emergency support to farmers hit by collapsing exports and rising costs. Speaking to the Financial Times, Rollins confirmed that a new package could be unveiled “soon” as USDA monitors global markets. She added that using “tariff income that is now coming into America” remains “absolutely a potential” source of funding.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has opened a public consultation in preparation for the July 1, 2026 Joint Review of the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA). As mandated by law, USTR is seeking public comments and will convene a hearing on November 17, 2025 at the U.S. International Trade Commission in Washington

Artificial intelligence could expand global trade in goods and services by an extra 40% by 2040, provided governments bridge digital divides and keep markets open, according to the WTO’s World Trade Report 2025. Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said the report poses a central challenge: “The question is whether AI will lift opportunities for all, or whether it will deepen existing inequalities and exclusion.”

Senator Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) has introduced a measure aimed at discouraging U.S. companies from sending work abroad by imposing steep new taxes on outsourcing arrangements. Observers note the measure could raise outsourcing costs by as much as 85%.