Washington, DC -- Representatives Gregory W. Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Darrell Issa, Vice Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, introduced bipartisan legislation aimed at addressing the historic backlog in license reviews at the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), a bottleneck that undermines the American economy and U.S. technological leadership.
The bill directs BIS to make licensing decisions within 90 days, institutes reporting requirements to ensure greater Congressional oversight, and directs the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct an audit of BIS's license review process.
A PDF of the bill is available here.
"The massive backlog at BIS is causing significant harm for U.S. industries who depend on predictable and efficient clearing of their licenses to satisfy their contracts. If the administration wants to maintain U.S. dominance in high tech industries like semiconductors and AI, BIS must do better. This bipartisan bill sets clear targets and enhances Congressional reporting requirements to ensure that the license review process is efficient. It addresses a major impediment in our ability to compete with China in the AI and technology race so that the Commerce Department can lead the way to boosting U.S. exports and creating jobs. I thank Rep. Issa for his partnership on this bill and hope to swiftly pass this bill before the delays at BIS do further damage to our economy,” said Ranking Member Meeks.
“The best arrangement to advance America’s essential process of export controls requires precision analysis, focused commitment, and transparency to Congress and the American industries that rely upon it,” said Vice Chairman Issa. “I applaud the BIS for its innovative and groundbreaking efforts to streamline regulatory burdens while upholding our national security interests, and this legislation is designed to allow the Bureau to provide even more certainty for the commercial sector. This consensus approach will be a widespread win for the nation.”
Additional background: In an industry survey conducted in 2026 by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, 58 percent of respondents reported license review times averaging over 180 days, 31 percent reported waits of over 300 days, and 78 percent reported significant increases in license processing times over the preceding 12 months.
The bill directs BIS to make licensing decisions within 90 days, institutes reporting requirements to ensure greater Congressional oversight, and directs the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct an audit of BIS's license review process.
A PDF of the bill is available here.
"The massive backlog at BIS is causing significant harm for U.S. industries who depend on predictable and efficient clearing of their licenses to satisfy their contracts. If the administration wants to maintain U.S. dominance in high tech industries like semiconductors and AI, BIS must do better. This bipartisan bill sets clear targets and enhances Congressional reporting requirements to ensure that the license review process is efficient. It addresses a major impediment in our ability to compete with China in the AI and technology race so that the Commerce Department can lead the way to boosting U.S. exports and creating jobs. I thank Rep. Issa for his partnership on this bill and hope to swiftly pass this bill before the delays at BIS do further damage to our economy,” said Ranking Member Meeks.
“The best arrangement to advance America’s essential process of export controls requires precision analysis, focused commitment, and transparency to Congress and the American industries that rely upon it,” said Vice Chairman Issa. “I applaud the BIS for its innovative and groundbreaking efforts to streamline regulatory burdens while upholding our national security interests, and this legislation is designed to allow the Bureau to provide even more certainty for the commercial sector. This consensus approach will be a widespread win for the nation.”
Additional background: In an industry survey conducted in 2026 by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, 58 percent of respondents reported license review times averaging over 180 days, 31 percent reported waits of over 300 days, and 78 percent reported significant increases in license processing times over the preceding 12 months.