I think it's really more about the taxes. The US is (almost?) unique among countries for laying claim to the income of citizens who are living and working abro

I think it's really more about the taxes. The US is (almost?) unique among countries for laying claim to the income of citizens who are living and working abroad, and the government has an established record of being pretty nasty about it. This law wouldn't be the first time I've heard of the US government taking a "if you don't give us money we won't let you visit your family" attitude towards its expats.