Menendez Pushes Biden Administration to Return Control of Firearm Exports to State Department
Press Release
U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and senior member of the Senate Banking Committee, today called on the Biden Administration to return control of semiautomatic firearm exports to the State Department. In 2020, the Trump Administration transferred authority from State to the Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS). Given the Bureau's less stringent export system, the move drastically weakened firearms export regulations and raised concerns that the Administration was seeking to dilute meaningful congressional oversight of proposed foreign sales of lethal weapons.
"We're facing an epidemic of gun violence in our country and we continue to see armed conflict and even human rights abuses abroad committed with American-made weapons. We are told that export control of semiautomatic weapons are safer at Commerce than at the State Department because BIS has dedicated agents to do end-use monitoring on these firearms after they're exported, whereas State does not," Sen. Menendez said during a Senate Banking Committee hearing. "At least at State, the Congress was able to review and disapprove such sales above $1 million on human rights grounds if it so chose."
When President Biden was running for office, he promised he would reverse President Trump's transfer and return control of semiautomatic weapon exports back to the State Department, which he can do without action by Congress. Doing so would make the exports subject to the Arms Export Control Act, giving Congress the right to disapprove a sale.
Sen. Menendez twice attempted to block the Trump Administration from weakening firearms export regulations and prevent the transfer to the Commerce Department's less-strict export system over concerns that the Administration was seeking to eliminate meaningful congressional oversight of the proposed foreign sales of these lethal weapons. In early 2020, the Senator blasted the Administration for moving forward with their plan despite his official hold.
Source