On April 8, 2022, the President signed into law two bills suspending normal trade relations with Russia and Belarus and banning the import of Russian energy products. Both measures passed Congress by an overwhelming majority in the US House of Representatives and unanimous votes in the US Senate. Ending Importation of Russian Oil Act (H.R. 6968) On March 8, 2022, President Biden issued an Executive Order (“EO 14066”) that bans the importation of Russian oil,…
US Senate Democrats, with support from the White House, have introduced the Defending Ukraine Sovereignty Act of 2022 (S. 3488). This bill seeks to deter a Russian “escalation” of hostilities in or against Ukraine through the threat of imposing sanctions against Russian officials and companies, as well as individuals and entities involved in the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. The bill currently has 41 cosponsors, all Democrats, so they will need to find Republican support for…
On January 1, 2021, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (the “NDAA 2021”) was enacted into law after the US Congress voted to override the President’s veto of the bill. The defense budget legislation authorizes $740.5 billion for national defense spending and sets policies on military compensation, procurement of equipment, operations, and training. In addition, similar to most National Defense Authorization Acts in recent years, the NDAA 2021 includes provisions regarding sanctions…
On June 17, 2020, the President signed the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020 into law. The law authorizes the President to impose sanctions on persons, including Chinese government officials, determined to be responsible for certain human rights violations and abuses committed against Muslim minority groups in China or elsewhere. The law requires the administration to sanction those individuals by blocking their assets and declaring them ineligible for visas or admission to the United…