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Committee questions Commerce on BIS funding, export enforcement and intellectual-property actions targeting foreign actors
Summary
Lawmakers sought detail on a proposed 50% increase for the Bureau of Industry and Security to expand export enforcement, questions on a firearms export rule and the department's efforts to remove fraudulent trademarks and counter unfair trade practices tied to China.
The subcommittee focused significant attention on the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) and export-control enforcement, particularly with respect to China, critical technologies and recent licensing rules.
Secretary Lutnick said the department requested a roughly 50% increase for BIS in FY26 to expand enforcement capacity and staffing. He described the planned use of funds as hiring more enforcement agents who can inspect warehouses, examine imports and exports and carry enforcement responsibilities in the field. "We need more agents to protect and defend our export controls," Lutnick said.
Members pressed for specifics about which activities and programs the funds would support. Representative Rogers and others asked why the BIS narrative did not list discrete initiatives; Lutnick said the staffing increase would primarily fund field enforcement capacity. Members also asked about a permanent rule from the prior administration that paused some firearm export licenses and dramatically shortened license durations; Lutnick said the department was "examining" that interim final rule and that a policy comment was forthcoming.
In related intellectual-property enforcement, the secretary said the US Patent and Trademark Office had removed more than 50,000 fraudulent goods and services from the trademark register over the previous months, using technology to find coordinated or bogus filings. Lutnick described widespread misuse of trademark filings and said new automation helps protect American brands from fraudulent foreign filings.
Why it matters: Export controls and BIS enforcement affect national-security controls, the ability of U.S. firms to sell abroad and the protection of strategic technologies. Members asked for greater clarity on planned uses of the requested BIS funding and for prompt department guidance on outstanding licensing and enforcement rules.
Numbers and clarifications discussed at the hearing: - BIS requested funding increase: described by the department as a 50% increase (as stated in testimony). - Enforcement results cited by Lutnick: "22 criminal convictions, 32 arrests, 38 indictments, 231 detentions," and seizures described in testimony (figures provided by the secretary).
The committee requested written materials detailing BIS staffing plans, enforcement priorities and further documentation on the firearms licensing interim final rule. No formal committee actions were taken during the hearing.
