In U.S. Senate Hearing on Russia Sanctions, Heitkamp Calls for Tougher Enforcement & Smarter Strategy to Counter Russian Aggression

U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp today called on the administration to toughen its efforts to punish Russia for its ongoing threats against U.S. citizens, elections, businesses, and critical infrastructure.

During a U.S. Senate Banking Committee hearing on the effectiveness of U.S financial and trade sanctions against Russia, Heitkamp questioned national security experts on how the United States can improve its use of sanctions to counter Russian efforts to destabilize U.S. institutions and divide western democracies. Additionally, she warned against a national security strategy that grants sanctions waivers to entities that could benefit the business interests of Putin-linked Russian oligarchs.

Last month, Heitkamp pressed administration officials to reevaluate their sanctions strategy and urged them to closely coordinate with U.S. allies as they work to contain Russian interference and influence operations.

“Over the last few years, Russian foreign policy has aggressively violated the sovereignty of U.S. elections and the privacy of American companies and citizens— and there’s no sign that President Putin is backing down any time soon,” said Heitkamp. “Through state-run companies, nefarious social media accounts, and the spreading of disinformation, Putin has increased his willingness to threaten U.S. national security. In response, we need to increase our resolve to deter these activities while also preventing future cyberattacks on our elections and businesses. I’ve long said that our government needs to punish Russian bad actors, and we can’t take our boot off the neck of those who benefit economically from Russian advances in Eastern Europe, Syria, or across the internet. We must take the appropriate steps to keep North Dakota communities strong and safe from the threat of Russian activities, and that must include a robust sanctions strategy and a redoubled commitment to strengthening our cooperation with our European allies.”