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Congress Enacts Sanctions Legislation Targeting Russia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 February 2018

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Extract

In July 2017, Congress passed the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act. The legislation—which enjoyed nearly unanimous legislative support—contained sanctions targeting Russia, North Korea, and Iran. Title II of the Act—titled separately as the Countering Russian Influence in Europe and Eurasia Act of 2017 (Countering Russian Influence Act)—entrenched and extended U.S. sanctions against Russia for violating Ukraine's territorial sovereignty and interfering with the U.S. presidential election. Title II's key provisions codified existing sanctions against Russia; imposed new sanctions against Russia; and restricted the president's authority to modify or eliminate these sanctions without congressional approval. Despite voicing constitutional objections to the legislation, President Trump signed the bill into law.

Type
General International and U.S. Foreign Relations Law
Information
American Journal of International Law , Volume 111 , Issue 4 , October 2017 , pp. 1015 - 1023
Copyright
Copyright © 2018 by The American Society of International Law 

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References

1 Actions Overview H.R. 3664 – 115th Congress (2017–2018), at https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/3364/actions.

2 Id.

3 See generally Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, Pub. L. 115-44 (2017). The Act imposes two categories of sanctions against North Korea: first, it includes sanctions to enforce and implement United Nations Security Council Sanctions against North Korea; second, the legislation adds sanctions against North Korea in response to its human rights abuses. §§ 311–24. Similarly, the Act imposes sanctions against Iran for human rights abuses in addition to its ballistic missile program and terrorism-related activities. §§ 104–06. Notably, the congressional review process, described below, see infra notes 48–57 and accompanying text, does not apply to the sanctions on either Iran or North Korea.

4 See id.; see also Daugirdas, Kristina & Mortenson, Julian Davis, Contemporary Practice of the United States, 111 AJIL 483 (2017) [hereinafter Russian Electoral Interference]Google Scholar.

5 Countering Russian Influence in Europe and Eurasia Act of 2017, 22 U.S.C. § 9522 (2017).

6 22 U.S.C. §§ 9524–29.

7 22 U.S.C. § 9511.

8 Infra notes 58–61.

9 Daugirdas, Kristina & Mortenson, Julian Davis, Contemporary Practice of the United States, 108 AJIL 783, 797–808 (2014)Google Scholar [hereinafter Attempted Annexation].

10 See generally Daugirdas, Kristina & Mortenson, Julian Davis, Contemporary Practice of the United States, 109 AJIL 175 (2015)Google Scholar; Daugirdas & Mortenson, Attempted Annexation, supra note 9.

11 Daugirdas & Mortenson, Attempted Annexation, supra note 9, at 798–805.

12 Exec. Order No. 13685, 79 Fed. Reg. 77357 (2014); Exec. Order No. 13662, 79 Fed. Reg. 16169 (2014); Exec. Order No. 13661, 79 Fed. Reg. 15535 (2014); Exec. Order No. 13660, 79 Fed. Reg. 13493 (2014).

13 U.S. Dep't of State, Ukraine and Russia Sanctions, at https://www.state.gov/e/eb/tfs/spi/ukrainerussia.

14 Exec. Order No. 13685, supra note 12 (blocking the property of any person dealing in Crimea and prohibiting persons in the United States from: investing in Crimea; importing Crimean goods or services; exporting goods or services to Crimea; and facilitating or supporting a transaction involving Crimean goods or services); Exec. Order No. 13662, supra note 12 (blocking the “property and interests in property that are in the United States” belonging to persons operating in the Russian economy from being “transferred, paid, exported, withdrawn, or otherwise dealt in”); Exec. Order No. 13661, supra note 12 (blocking the property of persons deemed to be a Russian government official, a Russian arms supplier, or an individual providing material assistance to a Russian government official or arms supplier); Exec. Order No. 13660, supra note 12 (blocking the property of persons “responsible for or complicit in” actions contributing to the crisis in Ukraine).

15 Exec. Order No. 13660, supra note 12.

16 Id.

17 Daugirdas & Mortenson, Russian Electoral Interference, supra note 4.

18 Id. at 483.

19 White House Press Release, Fact Sheet: Actions in Response to Russian Malicious Cyber Activity and Harassment (Dec. 29, 2016), at https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2016/12/29/fact-sheet-actions-response-russian-malicious-cyber-activity-and.

20 Max Greenwood, Official: Trump “Looking at” Future of US Sanctions on Russia, Hill (May 25, 2017), at http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/335244-official-trump-looking-at-future-of-us-sanctions-on-russia.

21 Margaret Talev & Jennifer Jacobs, Trump to Keep Russia Sanctions, Economic Adviser Cohn Says, Bloomberg Politics (May 26, 2017), at https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-05-26/trump-to-maintain-russia-sanctions-economic-adviser-cohn-says.

22 Id.

23 White House Press Release, Press Gaggle by Principal Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Sanders (June 15, 2017), at https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/06/15/press-gaggle-principal-deputy-press-secretary-sarah-sanders-6152017.

24 163 Cong. Rec. S4,387, S4,387 (2017).

25 See id. at S4,388 (statement of Sen. Brown) (“The bill provides for a range of tough sanctions against … Russia … . This bill will prevent President Trump from relaxing sanctions on Russia without congressional review. We are all concerned about that.”); see also id. at S4,387 (statement of Sen. McCain) (arguing that the legislation would impose “mandatory sanctions” to “respond to Russia's attack on American democracy”).

26 See Richard Lardner, White House Criticizes Russia Sanctions Stalled in House, PBS (July 11, 2017), at http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/white-house-criticizes-russia-sanctions-stalled-house.

27 Actions Overview H.R. 3664, supra note 1.

28 22 U.S.C. §§ 9522, 9524–29.

29 Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, supra note 3, §§ 224–35.

30 Id., §§ 224(b)(1), 227–28.

31 Id., §§ 224(b)(2), 235(a)(11).

32 Id., §§ 225, 235(a)(1)–(2).

33 Id., § 226.

34 Id., § 235(a)(1).

35 Id., § 235(a)(6).

36 Id., § 235(a)(5).

37 E.g., id., § 224(a) (stating that the president shall impose sanctions on “any person that the President determines” meets several statutory criteria).

38 See id., §§ 224(a)(1), 228(a), 231(a), 232(a), 233(a), 234(a)(1).

39 Id., § 224(a).

40 Id., § 225.

41 Id., § 226.

42 Id., § 228.

43 Id., § 227.

44 Id., § 231.

45 Id., § 232.

46 Id., § 233.

47 Id., §§ 225–26.

48 See id., § 216.

49 Id., § 216(a)(2)(B)(i)(I).

50 22 U.S.C. § 9511(a)(1).

51 22 U.S.C. § 9511(a)(2).

52 22 U.S.C. § 9511(a)(3).

53 22 U.S.C. § 9511(a)(4)(A).

54 22 U.S.C. § 9511(b)(1).

55 22 U.S.C. § 9511(b)(3).

56 22 U.S.C. § 9511(b)(3)–(6).

57 Id.

58 Actions Overview H.R. 3664, supra note 1.

59 White House Press Release, Statement by President Donald J. Trump on Signing the “Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act” (Aug. 2, 2017), at https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/08/02/statement-president-donald-j-trump-signing-countering-americas [hereinafter Aug. 2 Trump Statement].

60 White House Press Release, Statement by President Donald J. Trump on the Signing of H.R. 3364 (Aug. 2, 2017), at https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/08/02/statement-president-donald-j-trump-signing-hr-3364.

61 Aug. 2 Trump Statement, supra note 59.

62 Andrew Higgins, Putin Derides Sanctions and Trump Investigations as ‘Boorishness,’ N.Y. Times (July 27, 2017), at https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/27/world/europe/putin-sanctions-trump-investigations.html.

63 Id.

64 Neil MacFarquhar, Lawmakers in Russia Call for Retaliation Against New U.S. Sanctions, N.Y. Times (July 26, 2017), at https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/26/world/europe/us-sanctions-russia.html.

65 Vladimir Isachenkov, Russia Accuses Donald Trump of Waging ‘Full-Scale Trade War’ After U.S. President Signs New Sanctions Bill, Independent (Aug. 3, 2017), at http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/donald-trump-sanctions-russia-signs-bill-trade-war-dmitry-medvedev-a7874201.html.

66 Embassy of the Russian Federation Press Release, Foreign Ministry's Statement (July 28, 2017), at http://www.russianembassy.org/article/foreign-ministry%E2%80%99s-statement.

67 Id.

68 Id.

69 Id.

70 Office of the Vice President Press Release, Remarks by the Vice President to Enhanced Forward Presence and Estonian Troops (July 31, 2017), at https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/07/31/remarks-vice-president-enhanced-forward-presence-and-estonian-troops.

71 U.S. Dep't of State Press Release, On Sanctions Legislation (July 29, 2017), at https://www.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2017/07/272938.htm.

72 U.S. Dep't of State Press Release, Achieving Parity in Diplomatic Missions (Aug. 31, 2017), at https://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2017/08/273738.htm.

73 Id.

74 Id.