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Washington, D.C. – House Foreign Affairs Committee Lead Republican Michael McCaul (R-TX), House Armed Services Committee Lead Republican Mike Rogers (R-AL), House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Lead Republican Mike Turner (R-OH) and House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY) released the following statement following the introduction of the Never Yielding Europe’s Territory (NYET) Act. This bill will impose meaningful sanctions on the Putin regime now for its destabilizing military buildup and the hybrid attacks it has already launched against Ukraine as well as send a clear deterrent signal about the additional devastating consequences Russia would incur for a further invasion of Ukraine. The legislation also authorizes significant additional support for Ukraine and our NATO allies on the eastern flank now, during and after an increasingly likely Russian escalation.

“As the noose tightens around Ukraine, the Administration needs to allow our Democrat colleagues to work with us to pass meaningful bipartisan legislation to address growing Russian aggression,” said Ranking Member McCaul. “Congress must now step in and act where the president has failed to deter Putin’s belligerence. We are potentially just days away from what could be the largest invasion since World War 2, so we must impose consequences now on Putin, while also laying out the additional crippling penalties he would face after a further invasion of Ukraine.”

“Ukrainians are diligently making preparations to withstand a Russian onslaught,” said Ranking Member Rogers. “It would be prudent for Americans to likewise make preparations – for another onslaught of the foreign policy incompetence and arrogance that have become the hallmark of the Biden presidency. For months the Ukrainians have been telling us what they need to defend themselves, and for months the White House dithered, condescended, and even bullied our Ukrainian partners. It’s long past time that we give the Ukrainians the tools they need to defend themselves and it’s long past due that we impose costs on Putin.”

“This bill demonstrates our support for our Ukrainian partners while holding Putin and is inner circle accountable for their destabilizing aggression towards Ukraine,” said Ranking Member Turner. “If Russian forces invade a sovereign country, the consequences should be swift and crippling.”

“Swift and severe consequences must be imposed against Russia if there is any invasion of Ukraine,” said Conference Chairwoman Stefanik. “Joe Biden’s slow support for Ukraine and weakness on the world stage has emboldened Vladimir Putin’s aggression against the sovereign and democratic state of Ukraine. Each day without the passage of this sanctions package only emboldens Putin at the expense of global democracy and American credibility. This legislation sends an unmistakable message to Putin: the United States will cripple the Russian economy in the event of an invasion, and we will support every effort of our democratic partners to resist a Russian invasion.”

This legislation would:

  • Impose real costs on Russia pre- and post- invasion by:
    • Sanctioning Putin’s cronies, enablers, and major banks BEFORE Russia further invades Ukraine to ensure Putin pays a price now for hybrid attacks already launched against Ukraine.
    • Sending a clear deterrent message to Putin that an invasion of Ukraine will result in massive economic consequences to Russia’s economy, including:
      • Sanctions on major Russian banks; and
      • Secondary sanctions on banks that continue business with sanctioned Russian banks.
    • Allowing any chairman or ranking member of a national security committee to force a determination from the president on whether Russia’s aggression against Ukraine constitutes a major escalation and fulfills conditions to trigger sanctions.
    • Immediately stopping construction of the Nord Stream 2 project and mandating sanctions on the project without a waiver should Russia invade.
    • Before a potential further invasion of Ukraine, immediately imposing sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 if Germany re-starts the certification process.
    • Denying exports of semiconductor technology to the Russian Federation, applying a foreign direct product rule to capture items made outside the United States and sanctioning any company that violates the United States’ export control policy on the Russian Federation.
  • Provide support for Ukraine before, during, and after a Russian escalation by:
    • Providing $500 million in Foreign Military Financing (FMF) for Ukraine, including $250 million in emergency funding, with $100 million for emergency lethal assistance for critical capabilities like air defense, anti-armor, and anti-ship capabilities.
    • Creating a new Ukraine Resistance Fund to help Ukraine resist attempts to occupy or subjugate any new territory Russia seizes, while sending a clear message to Putin that his military will pay a price for advances into sovereign Ukrainian territory.
    • Expediting congressional review of arms sales and security assistance to Ukraine.
    • Designating Ukraine as a “NATO Plus” country to ensure the expeditious consideration of the sale of a range of U.S. defense articles and services.
  • Reassure NATO’s Eastern Flank by:
    • Doubling funding for U.S. military exercises in Europe.
    • Creating a new State Department FMF program for Eastern Europe to help European allies strengthen their own defensive capabilities and incentivize greater burden-sharing.
    • Boosting funding for State Department efforts to counter Russian disinformation, including the Global Engagement Center, and expanding broadcasting by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
  • Establish stronger Congressional oversight over the Biden Administration’s use of Russia sanctions by:
    • Providing Congress a veto over the removal of a wider range of Russia-related sanctions, including the Biden Administration’s April Executive Order 14024 (Blocking Property With Respect To Specified Harmful Foreign Activities Of The Government Of The Russian Federation).
    • Establishing a mechanism to require the Administration to review certain persons submitted by Congress for eligibility for Russia-related sanctions.
  • Reject Russia’s proposal for a deployment moratorium of intermediate-range ground-launched missiles in Europe and require a strategy on cooperation with NATO allies on conventional intermediate-range missiles. 

Find the full text of the bill here. 

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