United States: Inward/ Foreign Investment

President Trump's Executive Order 14415 mandates sweeping changes to Department of War supply chain requirements, restricting waivers for critical materials from adversarial nations and imposing new mapping and due diligence obligations on defense contractors. The Order extends beyond existing specialty metals rules to require comprehensive supply chain transparency and alternative source qualification across national security-related acquisitions.

The Trump administration's bilateral trade deals promised $9.49 trillion in foreign direct investment, but a detailed analysis reveals only $4.12 trillion qualifies as US-directed investment language...

President Trump's August 2026 memorandum directs the most comprehensive overhaul of U.S. naval shipbuilding in decades, mandating accelerated acquisition of strategic sealift vessels under the innovative "Finland Model" framework and establishing the first new public Navy shipyard in over 80 years. How will foreign shipbuilders, domestic contractors, and sealift operators position themselves to capitalize on these binding directives with 60- to 120-day implementation deadlines?

Steptoe analyst Zayna Dembinski examines critical developments shaping Asia-Pacific geopolitics, from the fragile US-China trade truce ahead of the September Xi-Trump summit to India's multi-alignment strategy and Indonesia's economic trajectory under President Prabowo. Her analysis explores whether current tensions reflect temporary turbulence or signal deeper structural shifts in the region's political and economic landscape.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has proposed sweeping changes to the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act (AFIDA) that would dramatically expand reporting requirements for commercial real estate transactions. How will the proposed rule's broader definition of "agricultural land," elimination of key exemptions, and inclusion of renewable energy infrastructure affect developers, investors, and infrastructure operators? This advisory examines five critical scenarios where the new framework could t

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has issued an aggressive proposed rule that would substantially revise regulations implementing the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978, significantly expanding disclosure obligations for foreign ownership of agricultural land. The proposal broadens the definition of agricultural land, lowers reporting thresholds, and substantially increases penalties for non-compliance, reflecting heightened national security concerns about foreign ownership of U.S. agr

Richard Montes de Oca and Jillian Cash explore how the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) and international trade tariffs intersect to shape strategic decision-making for companies operating in today's complex global marketplace. Their analysis examines the regulatory frameworks that businesses must navigate when engaging in cross-border transactions and international commerce.

U.S. national security regulation continues to evolve beyond traditional sanctions screening toward comprehensive relationship mapping, supply chain analysis, and technology transfer controls. Recent enforcement actions, temporary licensing frameworks, and expanded congressional mandates demonstrate how regulatory oversight now encompasses outbound investment, defense procurement, biotechnology collaboration, and foreign ownership across both classified and unclassified government contracts.

We regularly help foreign-based businesses access U.S. customers by establishing a local presence. At the state level, the first step is choosing a state of incorporation, or registration.