Ukraine and Russia

Chip Equipment Quality, Usefulness, and Integrity Protection Act of 2025 or the Chip EQUIP Act

This bill prohibits companies that receive certain federal funds from purchasing specified semiconductor manufacturing equipment made by foreign entities of concern (e.g., companies owned or controlled by China, Iran, North Korea, or Russia) or their subsidiaries for the federally funded project.

The CHIPS Act of 2022, which became law in August 2022, appropriated funding for the Department of Commerce to carry out the CHIPS for America provisions enacted in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021. These provisions included appropriations for financial incentives to expand domestic manufacturing capacities across the semiconductor supply chain, as well as for research and development programs.

Under the bill, Commerce must include in the terms of each agreement with a covered entity (e.g., companies receiving CHIPS funds) prohibitions with respect to a project relating to the procurement, installation, or use of the specified semiconductor manufacturing equipment. The prohibitions must be effective for 10 years beginning on the date on which the agreement is signed.

The bill authorizes Commerce to waive these prohibitions under certain circumstances, such as if the specified semiconductor manufacturing equipment is not produced in the United States or an allied or partner country in sufficient and reasonably available quantities or of a satisfactory quality to support established or expected production capabilities.

Stop Russian Market Manipulation Act

This bill prohibits the importation of specified minerals from Russia.

Specifically, the bill prohibits the importation of platinum, palladium, braggite, rhodium, ruthenium, nickel, cooper, or zinc if the mineral is (1) produced in Russia or by a Russian entity; or (2) determined to have been exchanged with, swapped for, or otherwise obtained in lieu of such a mineral in a manner designed to evade or circumvent this prohibition. The President may not waive this prohibition.

The prohibition shall continue to apply until one year after the President certifies to Congress that the Russian government has ended all hostilities against Ukraine. If the Russian government resumes hostilities against Ukraine within three years of a certification, then the prohibition shall resume effect.

Defending Defense Research from Chinese Communist Party Espionage Act of 2025

This bill generally prohibits contracts between certain foreign entities and institutions of higher education that are conducting research funded by the Department of Defense (DOD), and it imposes a post-employment restriction on principal investigators of certain DOD-funded research projects.

Beginning on January 1, 2027, the bill generally prohibits institutions of higher education that conduct DOD-funded research from entering into contracts with North Korea, China, Russia, or Iran or a foreign entity of concern (e.g., an academic institution of China that meets certain criteria). DOD is prohibited from providing funds to such institutions unless the institution receives a waiver.

Institutions seeking to contract with the listed countries or entities, and those with existing contracts, must submit waiver requests to DOD. Waivers are valid for one year. Institutions with contracts that are longer than one year may apply to renew the waiver for an additional one-year period.

The bill also generally imposes a post-employment restriction on individuals who serve as principal investigators of certain defense research projects, unless DOD waives the restriction. Specifically, for the 10 years following their employment as a principal investigator, an individual may not seek or accept employment or conduct any activity for which a foreign entity of concern provides compensation. This applies to principal investigators of projects that are (1) operated by an institution of higher education; (2) funded by DOD; and (3) involve a critical or emerging technology, as determined by DOD.

Stopping Adversarial Tariff Evasion Act

This bill expands the applicability of certain trade enforcement actions to goods from entities (e.g., businesses) that are owned, controlled, directed, or operated by a foreign adversary (i.e., China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, and the Maduro regime of Venezuela). The bill applies to an entity for which, on any date during the most recent 12-month period, at least 25% of the equity interests in such entity are held directly or indirectly by one or more foreign adversary parties.

Currently, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative may take certain enforcement actions under trade agreements or in response to certain unfair foreign trade practices (Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974), and the President may take certain actions after a determination of import injury (Section 203 of the Trade Act of 1974) or to safeguard national security (Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962).

This bill applies these enforcement actions to any good that is produced, manufactured, or that underwent final assembly by a foreign adversary party or an entity owned, controlled, directed, or operated by a foreign adversary party, as if the good originated in the foreign adversary country. Therefore, these enforcement actions shall apply to goods from companies that are based in other countries and are tied to foreign adversaries. (For example, additional tariffs may be imposed on goods from a Chinese manufacturer that are produced in Vietnam.)

Inspector General for Ukraine Act

This bill establishes the Office of the Inspector General for Ukraine, led by the Inspector General for Ukraine who shall be appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate.

The duties of the office include

• conducting, supervising, and coordinating audits and investigations of the amounts appropriated or otherwise made available for the military and nonmilitary support of Ukraine, and of the programs, operations, and contracts carried out utilizing such funds;

• establishing, maintaining, and overseeing such systems, procedures, and controls as the office considers appropriate for such audits and investigations; and

• coordinating with the Offices of Inspector General of the Department of Defense (DOD), the Department of State, and the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Whenever information or assistance requested by the office is unreasonably refused or not provided, the office shall report the circumstances to the State Department or DOD, as appropriate, and to Congress without delay.

The office shall submit a report to Congress on a quarterly basis.

Independent and Objective Oversight of Ukrainian Assistance Act

The bill establishes the Office of the Special Inspector General for Ukrainian Military, Economic, and Humanitarian Aid.

The office's duties shall include (1) conducting and coordinating audits and investigations of the handling of funds made available for aid to Ukraine, and (2) monitoring and reviewing contracts and reconstruction activities involving those funds.

The Special Inspector General shall report directly to, and be under the general supervision of, the Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense.

Federal agencies may not prevent the office from carrying out any audit or investigation related to aid to Ukraine. However, the office is not authorized to audit or investigate the intelligence community.

The office shall terminate 180 days after the date on which there is less than $250 million in unexpended amounts available for the reconstruction of Ukraine.

This joint resolution directs the President to remove U.S. Armed Forces from hostilities in or affecting Ukraine within 30 days of this resolution's adoption unless a declaration of war or specific authorization for such use of the Armed Forces has been enacted.