By Karen Freifeld and David Shepardson
Jan 23 (Reuters) – The Trump administration has pushed out a Commerce Department official whose office effectively barred nearly all Chinese cars from the U.S. market for national security reasons, according to people familiar with the matter.
Elizabeth “Liz” Cannon has resigned as executive director for Information and Communications Technology and Services (ICTS), an office created in 2022 to investigate threats to the supply chain from foreign adversaries, the people said.
News of Cannon’s impending departure comes shortly after the department dropped a plan to impose restrictions on Chinese drones despite the risk that U.S. adversaries might remotely access and manipulate the devices, exposing sensitive U.S. data.
The office, which falls under the department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), also has not issued regulations to address concerns about medium and heavy-duty truck exports. It finalized rules a year ago under then-president Joe Biden that effectively barred Chinese passenger vehicles.
“BIS is committed to using its ICTS authorities to address national security risks from foreign technology,” a spokesperson for the bureau said in a statement Friday. “Recent staffing changes at the ICTS Office will strengthen the Office and ensure that it continues to deliver for the American people.”
The sources said that, had she not resigned, Cannon would have been reassigned, and that the new administration plans to put a political appointee in the post. Her last day is expected to be February 20, two people said.
(Reporting by Karen Freifeld and David Shepardson; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Kevin Liffey)
