October 11, 2018, Covington Alert

On October 10, the U.S. Department of the Treasury, as chair of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (“CFIUS”), issued interim rules (the “Interim Rules”) that update the CFIUS regulations to address certain definitional and procedural aspects of the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act (“FIRRMA”) and, for the first time, (i) ...

August 13, 2018, Covington Alert

Earlier today, President Donald Trump signed into law the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act (FIRRMA) as part of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act. As we have previously reported, FIRRMA will transform the jurisdiction, authority, and operation of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS).

July 25, 2018, Covington Alert

For over a year, we have reported to our clients as the U.S. government considered and developed legislation that would fundamentally reform the operations of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS).

June 27, 2018, Covington Alert

We write to report on two important developments regarding the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act (FIRRMA), a bi-partisan effort to reform the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), and the broader policy debate within the U.S. government on regulatory mechanisms to address foreign investment, particularly from China.

May 23, 2018, Covington Alert

On Tuesday, May 22, 2018, the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs and the House Committee on Financial Services each held a markup of the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act (“FIRRMA”), a bill introduced by Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) in the Senate and Congressman Robert Pittenger (R-NC) in the House to reform CFIUS. A number of ...

May 16, 2018, Covington Alert

We are writing to report on the current status of the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act (“FIRRMA”), legislation to reform the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (“CFIUS” or the “Committee”). FIRRMA, a bill introduced by Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) in the Senate and Congressman Robert Pittenger (R-NC) in the House, seeks to ...

May 8, 2018, Covington Alert

It has been publicly reported that the Trump Administration is considering invoking the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to further regulate—and in certain areas potentially preclude—Chinese direct investment in the United States, beyond the authorities exercised by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS).

April 30, 2018, Covington Alert

We are writing to report on the latest Congressional hearing related to reform of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (“CFIUS”).

April 17, 2018, Covington Alert

We are writing to report on the latest Congressional hearing related to reform of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (“CFIUS”).

March 16, 2018, Covington Alert

We are writing to report on the latest Congressional hearings related to reform of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (“CFIUS”) and potential efforts to enhance and reform the U.S. export control regime.

March 15, 2018

WASHINGTON—Covington secured a U.S. Presidential order compelling Broadcom Limited to “immediately and permanently abandon” its proposed hostile takeover of its client Qualcomm, Inc. The order was based on findings by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) that Broadcom's takeover "threatens to impair the national security of the United ...

March 8, 2018, Covington Alert

On February 15, 2018, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA) introduced bipartisan legislation—the Export Control Reform Act of 2018 (“ECRA”)⸺to modernize U.S. export control regulation of commercial and dual-use items.

January 26, 2018, Covington Alert

We are writing to report on the latest significant developments in the effort to reform the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (“CFIUS”).

January 17, 2018

WASHINGTON—Brian Williams has joined Covington as a Senior Advisor in the firm’s Cross-Border Investment and National Security practice. Mr. Williams draws on over 20 years of public and private sector experience advising on issues at the intersection of national security, technology, and law. A non-lawyer, he led multi-agency analyst teams that authored the ...