Congressman Kevin Cramer supported the widely bipartisan Russia, Iran, and North Korea Sanctions Act passed out of the U.S. House of Representatives on a 419 to 3 vote. The bill now moves to the Senate for further consideration.
H.R. 3364 takes a number of important steps to increase economic and political pressure against adversarial nations including:
Expands sanctions against Iran for ballistic missile activity and human rights abuses
Increases sanctions against the Russian Federation for actions in Ukraine, hostile cyber activities, and other aggression and influence activities, as well as provide foreign aid to nations to counter Russian aggression
Strenghtens sanctions against North Korea related to weapons activities and human rights abuses
Reduces executive branch discretion related to the imposition, waiver, and termination of sanctions, especially with regard to Russia
Takes steps to combat terrorist financing
"Protecting the citizens of this great nation is the number one priority of Congress, and we will not idly stand by as these aggressors continue to threaten America and our allies," said Cramer. "With U.S. Officials, just today, warning that North Korea will have the ability to produce a nuclear-capable ICBM sometime next year, our enemies -- and the countries they do business with -- need to know that they will pay a terrible price for conducting improper business with the countries of Russia, Iran, and North Korea."
Why these sanctions are necessary:
North Korea has tested 17 missiles since February. It has also proven its capability to launch Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) during a test earlier this month. With more missile tests expected in the coming months, North Korea is closer than ever to having capabilities to strike the United States.
The Russian Federation has aimed to delegitimize the beliefs of Western Countries for decades. With continued cyber activity meant to undermine democracy in the United States, Putin will continue this behavior if there are no consequences for his behavior.
During the Obama Administration, we made a terrible mistake allowing Iran billions of dollars in sanctions relief. As one of the world's biggest state sponsors of terror, Iran continues to fund terrorist groups like Hezbollah while also supporting the Assad regime in Syria, and helping create a civil war in Yemen.