Disapproval of President's Proposal Relating to Application of Certain Sanctions

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I rise in support of the joint resolution, which disapproves the removal of sanctions against three companies owned by the Russian oligarch and Putin crony, Oleg Deripaska. Mr. Deripaska's complicity and Putin's efforts to undermine our democracy and those of our allies is well known, and this is without the benefit of what the special counsel has investigated and thus far uncovered.

Simply put, the Treasury Department has not provided Congress with convincing evidence that the deal reached with Mr. Deripaska truly ends his control over the companies. And the Treasury Department has not provided Congress with convincing evidence that Mr. Deripaska will not, in fact, benefit financially from the divestiture of these businesses.

These sanctions were imposed last year on Mr. Deripaska and these companies, over Mr. Deripaska's malign efforts and the Kremlin's malign efforts to interfere in our democracy, as well as the efforts to invade Russia's neighbor and the continuing destabilization of Ukraine.

The simple reality is, having imposed these sanctions as a deterrent, nothing has changed in the Kremlin's behavior to warrant the relaxation of these sanctions.

Sanctions are imposed for a reason. The reason these were imposed was because of the malevolent actions of Mr. Deripaska and the Kremlin. They are intended to influence the Kremlin's behavior. So what has changed that merits now the relaxation of these sanctions? The answer is nothing.

The Russian actions in the last election continued, through the manipulation of social media, to meddle in our democratic affairs. Violence along the line of contact between Russia and Ukraine continues and within Ukraine continues. Nothing has changed in the Kremlin behavior.

Nothing has changed to warrant Treasury lifting these sanctions, and so I join my colleagues.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues on a bipartisan basis, and I thank my colleague from Texas for his support to disapprove of this relaxation of sanctions on Russia and Mr. Deripaska, and to urge the rest of the Congress to join us.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source