United States: Government, Public Sector

U.S. national security regulation continues to evolve beyond traditional sanctions screening toward comprehensive relationship mapping, supply chain analysis, and technology transfer controls. Recent enforcement actions, temporary licensing frameworks, and expanded congressional mandates demonstrate how regulatory oversight now encompasses outbound investment, defense procurement, biotechnology collaboration, and foreign ownership across both classified and unclassified government contracts.

We regularly help foreign-based businesses access U.S. customers by establishing a local presence. At the state level, the first step is choosing a state of incorporation, or registration.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has proposed sweeping changes to the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act that would dramatically expand what qualifies as agricultural land, eliminate key reporting exemptions, and impose stricter penalties on foreign investors. The proposed rule reframes AFIDA as a national security measure rather than a data-collection exercise, potentially affecting institutional investors, renewable energy developers, and even U.S. entities with upstream foreign ownership. W

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has proposed sweeping changes to federal brake system standards to accommodate autonomous vehicles without traditional driver controls, while simultaneously withdrawing its voluntary AV STEP oversight program. These parallel actions signal a fundamental shift in how federal regulators approach the certification and deployment of self-driving vehicle technology on public roads.

The U.S. Supreme Court has issued a landmark First Amendment ruling striking down federal limits on political party coordinated expenditures with candidates. This decision fundamentally reshapes campaign finance law by allowing national and state party committees to make unlimited coordinated spending on behalf of their nominees, overturning decades of precedent while leaving other contribution limits and coordination rules intact.

A coalition of 17 states has launched an unprecedented constitutional challenge to California's packaging extended producer responsibility program, raising novel legal theories that go beyond previous EPR challenges in Oregon and Colorado. The lawsuit targets both state regulators and the Circular Action Alliance, marking the first time a producer responsibility organization has been named as a defendant in such litigation.

A sweeping new White House Executive Order is set to once again shake up global supply chains by requiring a historic overhaul of the U.S. Importer of Record (IOR) framework

A new bill introduced in Congress would prohibit certain Chinese-linked entities from obtaining or enforcing U.S. patents, potentially reshaping the competitive landscape in technology-intensive sectors including drones, telecommunications, semiconductors, and artificial intelligence.

U.S. national security regulation continues to evolve beyond traditional sanctions screening toward comprehensive relationship mapping, supply chain analysis, and technology transfer controls. Recent enforcement actions, temporary licensing frameworks, and expanded congressional mandates demonstrate how regulatory oversight now encompasses outbound investment, defense procurement, biotechnology collaboration, and foreign ownership across both classified and unclassified government contracts.

The Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council has proposed a comprehensive framework establishing contractor obligations for safeguarding Controlled Unclassified Information, introducing new security requirements based on NIST SP 800-171 Revision 3 and mandatory incident reporting within 72 hours.

The BIOSECURE Act has moved from legislative possibility to operational reality. Enacted as part of the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, the law restricts federal agencies, federal contractors, and recipients of certain federal funds from procuring or using biotechnology equipment or services supplied by designated “biotechnology companies of concern.”

The U.S. Department of Justice announced a $507,144 settlement with Alabama defense contractor LOGZONE Inc. for allegedly violating the False Claims Act by failing to meet cybersecurity requirements in Navy contracts.