U.S. lawmakers - The African Mirror

Jun

2023

SA-Russia ties: US MPs seek punishment

A group of U.S. lawmakers is calling for a U.S.-Africa trade summit planned for later this year to be moved from South Africa in response to what they said was the country's "deepening military relationship" with Russia. In a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other senior officials, they also suggested South Africa is in danger of losing its benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) - Washington's flagship trade programme. South Africa is due to host the AGOA Forum in Johannesburg, a meeting of African leaders and U.S. officials, to discuss the future of…

Dec

2022

By The African Mirror

U.S. lawmakers include ban on TikTok on government devices in spending proposal

WORLD

DAVID SHEPARDSON U.S. lawmakers included a proposal to bar federal government employees from using the Chinese app TikTok on government-owned devices in a key spending bill. The Senate last week voted on a bill sponsored by Republican Senator Josh Hawley to bar federal employees from using the ByteDance-owned short video app on government-owned devices. It was the latest action by U.S. lawmakers to crack down on Chinese companies amid national security fears. The ban is in a massive omnibus measure to fund U.S. government operations that is expected to be voted on this week. The bill gives the White House Office of Management…

Dec

2020

By The African Mirror

Bipartisan U.S. lawmakers seek fast approval of $908 bln COVID-19 relief

WORLD

RICHARD COWAN and DOINA CHIACU A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers have unveiled a $908 billion COVID-19 relief bill aimed at breaking a monthslong deadlock between Democrats and Republicans over new emergency assistance for small businesses, unemployed people, airlines and other industries during the pandemic. The measure has not yet been written into legislation. Nor has it been embraced yet by the Republican Trump administration, Democratic President-elect Joe Biden or leaders in the Senate or House of Representatives, all of whom would be needed for passage. But it comes with the backing of a group of conservatives and moderates who…