Washington DC: As part of an epic, two-dozen vote series on Wednesday, the House passed four more bills aimed at impeding Russia’s brutal war on Ukraine. This area has been a consistent source of bipartisanship, even during one of the most polarized Congresses in recent history. The bills would also have to clear the Senate before becoming law.
These bills include the Isolate Russian Government Officials Act, which would make it U.S. policy to exclude Russian officials from meetings and other proceedings of the G-20 and various other financial groups; Russia and Belarus Financial Sanctions Act, which makes entities owned or controlled by U.S. financial institutions must comply with sanctions against Russia and Belarus; Ukraine Comprehensive Debt Payment Relief Act, which calls on the U.S. to advocate for the suspension of Ukrainian debt payments to entities such as the International Monetary Fund and World Bank amid the ongoing war; and Russia and Belarus SDR Exchange Prohibition Act, that prohibit the use of U.S. dollars held by Russia or Belarus in financial instruments.
The House emphatically approved a fresh $40 billion Ukraine aid package Tuesday as lawmakers beefed up President Joe Biden’s initial request, signaling a magnified, bipartisan commitment to thwart Russian President Vladimir Putin’s bloody three-month-old invasion.
