WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), the Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today issued the following statement on the Trump Administration finally utilizing some of the tools Congress has provided to impose some sanctions on Russian individuals and entities under the Countering America’s Adversaries through Sanctions Act, legislation Senator Reed strongly supported:

“This is the bare minimum the Administration could do in light of the mounting evidence of Russian aggression.  It certainly does not send a strong message to Russia or our allies.  Rather, it seems as if the Trump Administration has finally been shamed into acting by the Special Counsel’s indictment of Russians and the brazen poisoning of a former Russian spy on British soil. 

“The measures announced today simply don’t go far enough.

“These are not the robust sanctions Congress overwhelmingly authorized.  They appear to be designed more for domestic public relations purposes than for actually deterring Russian misbehavior.  The Trump Administration still has yet to take decisive action to impose real costs on Vladimir Putin or members of his inner circle who continue to attack our election system and try to destabilize our democratic allies.

“One has to wonder why President Trump is tougher on some of our allies than he is on Putin.

“Congress voted overwhelmingly for these sanctions in an effort to prevent Russia from interfering with our 2018 elections.  But the Trump Administration’s refusal to fully implement these sanctions harms our national security and fails to deter further Russian aggression.

“President Trump must fully implement sanctions under the Countering America’s Adversaries through Sanctions Act, including against those responsible for the attacks on our 2016 Presidential election.”