As war in Ukraine worsens, Congress wields limited power to punish Russia
As War in Ukraine Worsens, Congress Wields Limited Power To Punish Russia
For months, the House and Senate have been at a standstill over how to deter Russia’s military aggression, even as the number of Ukrainian casualties swells to more than 3,400, according to the latestby the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. As federal agencies, including the Departments of Commerce and Justice, work to execute sanctions and confiscations, Congress itself has passed mostly symbolic legislation.
Lawmakers were quick to grandstand about the importance of the new legislation. Taken together, they will “send a message to a dictator in Russia,” said House Ways and Means Chair Richard Neal, a Massachusetts Democrat. “This package is about bringing every tool of economic pressure to bear on Vladimir Putin and his oligarch cronies,” said Sen. Ron Wyden, chair of the Senate finance Committee, in a statement.
Those moves have had only limited effect, largely because the U.S. is not a primary destination of Russian products; Russia was America’s 26th largest goods trading partner in 2019,. So the bill that Congress passed Thursday that effectively increases the tariffs on Russian goods isn’t a crushing punishment. Moreover, Biden’s executive orders already entirely banned the few key imports between the U.S. and Russia, like fuel.
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