Bill lets U.S. ban ships over foreign property seizures—but may raise prices for consumers.

What it does

This bill authorizes the President to ban vessels that have used ports in Western Hemisphere free-trade partners if those countries have seized or expropriated U.S. citizen or U.S.-owned company property since January 2024. The bill also expands U.S. trade law to treat expropriation, arbitrary treatment, and nationality-based discrimination against American assets as grounds for trade retaliation. The primary beneficiaries are U.S. persons (citizens and companies) whose property has been taken by foreign governments.

Why we flagged it

The bill's core mechanism is a trade sanction (vessel import ban) triggered by foreign expropriation of U.S. property, combined with an expansion of Section 301 trade remedies. It is fundamentally a tool for protecting American investors and companies against foreign government seizure, not a broad public-interest measure.

What the text implies

• The 60-day designation window for 'prohibited property' is compressed and may lack robust due-process review, potentially leading to over-designation and unintended trade disruption.
• The definition of 'covered foreign trade partner' includes all Western Hemisphere free-trade partners, meaning a single expropriation incident in one country could trigger vessel bans affecting multiple trading partners and their supply chains.
• Expansion of Section 301 to include 'arbitrary or capricious treatment' and 'denial of due process' is vague and may invite aggressive trade retaliation claims based on subjective interpretations of foreign regulatory conduct.
• The bill does not require compensation or negotiation before imposing vessel bans, potentially escalating trade conflicts without exhausting diplomatic remedies.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

The bill protects U.S. property rights abroad and creates a deterrent against expropriation, which benefits American investors and companies. However, the trade restrictions may raise consumer costs for goods imported via affected ports, and the broad definition of 'covered foreign trade partner' (any Western Hemisphere country with a U.S. free-trade agreement) could trigger retaliatory tariffs that harm ordinary consumers and workers in affected supply chains.

Who stands to gain

• U.S. multinational corporations with property interests in Latin America and the Caribbean
• U.S. investors in mining, energy, and infrastructure sectors in Western Hemisphere countries
• U.S. shipping and logistics companies (potential beneficiaries if competitors' vessels are banned)

Named in the bill

Secretary of Homeland Security, Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of State, President, Senate Committee on Finance, House Committee on Ways and Means, Trade Act of 1974, Section 301, Western Hemisphere free-trade partners, U.S. persons (citizens and companies)

Where it stands

12 cosponsors: 10 Republicans, 2 Democrats.

• Jul 21, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in Senate”
• Jul 21, 2025 — Referred to Senate Committee on Finance · Congress.gov: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

2 lobbying clients named this bill on 2 disclosure filings across 1 quarter, Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $120,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 8 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 41% of bills with at least one filing.

Bill Hagerty, the sponsor, reported $1,618,141 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• Solvay Chemicals Inc. — $70,000 on 1 filing
• Vulcan Materials Company — $50,000 on 1 filing

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.