Foreign Policy

Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.), the first Chinese-American woman elected to Congress, introduced a resolution on Wednesday that would formally acknowledge and offer regrets for passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and other related laws around that time aimed at discouraging Chinese emigration.

Chu said Congress has never acknowledged the error of these laws, which were ultimately repealed around World War II, after China became an ally of the United States.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) introduced legislation this week aimed at making it more difficult for Cuba to develop its petroleum industry. It would do so by imposing new sanctions against entities that invest in Cuba's oil sector.

Ros-Lehtinen's bill comes in the midst of a debate within the U.S. about whether and how the U.S. should develop its own petroleum resources — one that has seen Republicans call for increased drilling on the Outer Continental Shelf.

Some members say continued military activities after the 60-day mark would require congressional approval.

A bipartisan group of senators on Thursday introduced legislation that would sanction Russian officials involved in the 2009 death of a Russian lawyer who alleged that the government was involved in a tax fraud scheme.

The bill is a reaction to the death of Sergei Magnitsky, whose case has come to be seen as a symbol of corruption in the Russian legal system. Magnitsky was a Russian lawyer hired by an American law firm and who worked for Hermitage Capital.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) on Thursday said President Obama's speech on the Middle East and North Africa did not answer any of the key questions members of Congress are asking and said she hopes Obama can work closely with Congress to put forward a "comprehensive and consistent regional policy."

One detail many members of Congress were listening for was the extent to which the U.S. military would stay involved in Libya. Obama committed U.S. forces to Libya without congressional approval, but many believe approval is needed under the War Powers Resolution after the first 60 days, which elapses late this week.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) on Wednesday said she would soon introduce legislation that would impose sanctions against Syria beyond those announced by President Obama earlier in the day.

Obama announced his administration would freeze the U.S. assets of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad and six other high-ranking senior officials. Ros-Lehtinen welcomed this as a "positive step," but said more should be done.

A bipartisan group of House members is looking to tighten economic sanctions even further against Iran, although Republicans and Democrats seem to differ on whether the bill is needed.

In a Monday statement, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), who sponsored the bill, said it is needed because the Obama administration has failed to enforce a law passed in 2010 that broadens sanctions against Iran and companies that participate in Iran's energy sector.

"U.S. policy towards Iran has offered a lot of bark, but not enough bite," Ros-Lehtinen said. "This new bipartisan legislation would bring to bear the full weight of the U.S. by seeking to close the loopholes in existing energy and financial sanctions laws, while increasing the type and number of sanctions to be imposed.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) Monday afternoon said she would "have a problem" with a decision to allow the International Monetary Fund to be led by a Chinese national.

"It depends on who we're talking about and the rest," she said in an interview on Bloomberg after being asked about the prospect of a Chinese-led IMF. "Yeah, I probably would have a problem with that, but again, let's hear what the suggestion is."

Rep. Dan Lungren objected to the "demonization" of those who disagree with the president on immigration.

The House on Tuesday evening approved H.R. 1016, which would require the White House to conduct and release a report on humanitarian and reconstruction efforts in Haiti after a January 2010 earthquake that caused significant property and infrastructure damage there.

The non-controversial bill was approved by voice vote at about 5:30 p.m.