Suspending Normal Trade Relations with Russia and Belarus Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. GROTHMAN. Suspending normal trade relations with Russia is important. It is my belief 20 years from now the part of this bill that will most be remembered is the change in the Magnitsky Act, which is normally used to sanction foreign elected officials.

Right now, the Magnitsky Act can be used only for defined crimes, extrajudicial killings, torture, prolonged detention without trial. We are now opening up that act to unlimited human rights, however defined, including sanctioning people, for example, not following the LGBTQ agenda, or not being sufficiently pro-abortion.

We have heard before this country weighing in on countries like the Dominican Republic, Hungary, African and Latin American countries, using our economic might to punish them when they don't adopt our view or I'd say the liberal view of Christianity.

It is with great disappointment that people held out and risked whether this bill would go ahead or not on changing the Magnitsky Act.

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