Grassley Leads Efforts To Support Ukraine, Punish Russia

Press Release

Like many Iowans, Sen. Grassley is deeply concerned by Russia's unprovoked aggression toward Ukraine, and has partnered with his fellow lawmakers to support Ukraine and hold Russia accountable. Here's a summary of his work:

PRE-INVASION
Last year, on the anniversary of then-President Obama and Vice President Biden announcing their so-called Russia reset policy, Grassley called it a "failure" and warned Biden that continuing to go soft of Russia would have dangerous consequences.
In early January, Grassley warned Putin's false and dangerous rhetoric on Ukraine was about to reach a tipping point:
"Putin is on the precipice of greatly escalating his war on Ukraine."
Grassley is an active member of the Senate Ukraine Caucus and co-chair of the Baltic Caucus, where he has remained closely engaged with our Baltic allies.
In early February, Grassley and his colleagues met with the Lithuanian Delegation to discuss Russian aggression and the impact it will have on the region.
After this meeting, Grassley reiterated what he heard from ambassadors from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland: "They understand Putin best -- if he gets something from threatening Ukraine, he'll just demand more. We must reinforce NATO and give Ukraine what it needs."
Grassley repeatedly expressed concerns that there would be unnecessary bloodshed if Putin invaded Ukraine.
On Fox News, Grassley said, "It's a sad commentary. Ukraine is no threat to Russia. NATO or Europe is no threat to Russia. And there's going to be needless killing of civilians and soldiers in Ukraine."
Before Putin's unprovoked attack on Ukraine, Grassley joined his colleagues in introducing tough sanctions legislation in an effort to deter Russian aggression.
"We need to send a clear message to Putin: A completely unprovoked, violent invasion will come with enormous costs for Russia," Grassley said.

POST-INVASION
Grassley immediately condemned Russia's assault on Ukraine, calling it "inhumane" and pointing out that Putin is tragically "killing innocent people like Stalin did in the 1930s."
After Russia began indiscriminately bombing Ukraine and murdering innocent civilians, Grassley joined his colleagues in introducing a resolution to hold Putin and his allies accountable for war crimes.
Grassley joined several of his colleagues in an effort to immediately expel Russia from the UN Security Council, after they presided over meetings regarding their invasion of its sovereign neighbor.
Grassley, Ernst and several of their colleagues implored the Treasury, State and Defense departments to immediately investigate and sanction Russia's Wagner Group.
This came after reports indicated that Putin hired hundreds of mercenaries from this group to assassinate Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Grassley also joined an effort to immediately provide Ukraine with aircraft and additional lethal aid. This came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke with lawmakers and requested these resources.
During remarks given on the Senate floor, Grassley urged his colleagues to support sending Ukraine any resources needed to stop Putin's mass murder, saying "any bureaucratic delays now are unacceptable."
He joined Sens. Ernst, Romney and 40 of his colleagues in urging President Biden to work with Poland and NATO to immediately transfer much-needed airpower and other support to Ukraine.

ECONOMIC RESPONSE

Grassley urged Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to ensure the department is doing everything it can to block Russia's access to financing through the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Sens. Grassley and Rubio introduced legislation to sanction all Russian state-owned enterprises. The HEROIAM SLAVA Act, named after the iconic Ukrainian rallying cry and symbol of national resistance, would deny companies controlled or owned by Moscow -- such as Rosneft, Gazprom, Rosatom, Aeroflot and RT -- access to critical American capital as they fund Vladimir Putin's war efforts.

ENERGY RESPONSE

Grassley helped introduce legislation that would halt all imports of Russian oil, saying "there is no reason we should be supporting any sector of Russia's economy" as they continue bombing Ukraine and murdering innocent civilians.
Grasley helped introduce the American Energy Independence Act of 2022, which seeks to return American energy to full production. As Putin's unprovoked attack on Ukraine makes matters worse for energy costs at home, this bill takes critical steps to lower gas prices and unleash energy production right here in the United States.
Grassley joined the Iowa delegation in urging the EPA to ramp up biofuel production to secure American energy independence.
"As conflict continues in the region, we urge the Biden administration to expand the production and potential export of domestic ethanol and biodiesel to meet global energy needs," the Iowa delegation wrote.
After the U.S. officially moved to ban Russian oil, and the price of gas continues hitting new record highs, Grassley joined Ernst and a bipartisan group of senators in introducing legislation to replace this banned oil with clean-burning, American-made renewable fuels that are available right now.
"Iowa producers stand ready to meet the moment and ramp up production to lower gas prices for families across the country," Grassley said.
They also urged President Biden to permit the year-round sale of E15 fuel to restore American energy independence.
In their letter, the lawmakers noted that biofuels are a clean and reliable energy solution that can help drive down fuel costs for consumers who are facing record-high prices at the pump.

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