WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) released the following statement Wednesday, ten days past the October 1 deadline by which the Trump Administration was to announce the implementation of sanctions on the Russia defense and intelligence sectors, as stipulated in the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, of which the Senators were chief authors and negotiators:
“The delay calls into question the Trump administration’s commitment to the sanctions bill which was signed into law more than two months ago, following months of public debate and negotiations in Congress. They’ve had plenty of time to get their act together.
“In addition to the administration’s lack of responsiveness on this deadline, there does not appear to be a significant diplomatic effort to engage our allies in Europe and lead an effort to increase pressure on Moscow. Congressional intent was clear, reflected in the overwhelming bipartisan majority in favor of the legislation.
“We wrote the Administration on September 28, strongly urging them to develop a robust and comprehensive implementation plan for all aspects of the law and to work in close consultation with Congress to ensure a fulsome reflection of congressional intent. We again request that the administration respond to our letter, and engage Congress in a serious way moving forward.”
Background:
Senators Cardin and McCain’s letter to the Administration on September 28 can be found at this link.
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