Corruption, Overthrowing Rule of Law, and Ruining Ukraine: Putin's Trifecta Act

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker I rise in support of this bill. Without question, the horrific and illegal war Russia is waging against the people of Ukraine is Putin's war.

But Putin's regime and, by extension, his barbaric behavior in Ukraine, are shamelessly supported by too many Russian military officials, lawmakers, oligarchs, and propagandists who have yet to face U.S. sanctions.

These enablers and supporters of Putin's unprovoked war of aggression should not be able to set foot in the United States of America. They should not be able to enjoy their ill-gotten wealth here. They should not be able to buy expensive homes here, and they should not be able to send their children to school here.

Failing to act would be a great disservice to the victims of Putin's depravity, not just in Ukraine, but those in Russia as well who have suffered from the Kremlin's domestic crackdown.

At the outset of the full-scale invasion, Putin signed a ludicrous law mandating sentences of up to 15 years for telling the truth about his war in Ukraine. In Russia, calling it a war and not a special operation is illegal.

Questioning the wisdom of his unjustifiable war is illegal. Those still brave enough to speak out these truths, including Vladimir Kara- Murza, now sit behind bars in Russia as political prisoners.

This bill calls on the administration to make a sanctions determination for nearly 200 Russians linked to the regime's pervasive corruption and human rights violations. These names were compiled by a team of investigators organized by now-jailed Russian opposition politician and anticorruption crusader Aleksei Navalny for not only their part in Putin's kleptocracy but also for supporting the Kremlin's war against Ukraine.

I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill to send a strong signal to Putin's regime and all his cronies that they will be held accountable for backing the regime's crimes at home and abroad.

Mr. Speaker, in the months leading up to February 24, many of us called for the Biden administration to impose severe sanctions before-- let me underscore ``before''--Russian troops amassing on Ukraine's border invaded. These sanctions, we argued, would make crystal clear to Putin and his cronies that they would be held accountable for launching this renewed invasion.

Unfortunately, the administration chose not to heed this warning, sacrificing a final opportunity to deter the war raging today.

While the administration has since worked with allies and partners to cut off funding to Putin's war machine, it cannot rest in its efforts to target all those in Russia complicit in the Kremlin's crimes at home and abroad. Thus, I urge all my colleagues to support this bill to ensure Putin's enablers face real consequences.

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