When deployed thoughtfully and consistently, sanctions can leverage America’s economic might to peacefully end urgent threats to our national security. That is why Congress has acted in a bipartisan way to provide the administration with new tools to combat, disrupt and deter those who would do America harm. But the effectiveness of sanctions relies on successful implementation. So yesterday, the committee held a hearing to ask administration officials, “Are we doing enough?”

Why has no action been taken against Iran’s Mahan Air or the Russian entities supporting it?

Mr. Billingslea: “Mr. Chairman, you mentioned in your opening comments Mahan Air and I could not agree with you more. … Mahan is the airline of choice for the Quds Force. When they want to move weaponry, money, foreign fighters, Mahan Air is by and large the airline they select for these operations. It’s their covered air asset program. We need to go after Mahan. … And we have begun designating companies that foolishly remain intertwined with Mahan Air. We did so in the case of Malaysia. Other actions are imminent. I also find it objectionable that certain countries who are close partners of ours who are threatened by the Iranians continue to allow Mahan to fly into their cities in the Middle East and so this is a matter we very much see eye-to-eye on and we will continue to target.”

Will the administration take the strongest necessary action if Russia doesn’t comply with the Chemical and Biological Weapons Act?

Ms. Singh: “[T]he answer to that is yes, absolutely. …We have indicated to them that they can…make themselves not subject to these sanctions if they allow the onsite inspections, as you’ve indicated, if they give us a verifiable assurance that they will not use these nerve agents against their own people again; they have not done so so far. So to that extent, we are looking at this November deadline and absolutely we plan to impose a very severe second round of sanctions under the CBW. The global community will not tolerate behavior such as we have seen from Russia, especially in poisoning and killing its own citizens.”

Are we maintaining our maximum pressure campaign against North Korea?  

Chairman Royce: “I’m very concerned that our ‘maximum pressure’ campaign is faltering. Kim appears to be using talks, as he has time and again, to probe for weaknesses and buy time. When our messages are confusing or contradictory, we shouldn’t be surprised when others, like Beijing, reportedly resume importing North Korean coal.”