US Senate finds Commerce Department’s efforts to enact bans and sanction “inadequate” — investigation finds agency underfunded, must rely on voluntary compliance by chipmakers

US Capitol Building.

The U.S. Senate’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations discovered that the Department of Commerce’s efforts to enforce the bans and sanctions enacted by the Biden administration against Russia and China have been mainly “inadequate” due to a lack of funding. According to an Associated Press report, the Bureau of Security and Industry (BIS), which handles export controls and promotes U.S. technology, does not have the resources to effectively accomplish its mission and must rely on the companies it regulates to voluntarily comply with the limitations.

This investigation comes after several news reports of chips and other high-tech American silicon being discovered in Russian drones and missiles, with the country importing about $1.7 billion worth of chips in 2023 despite sanctions.