McCaul Slams Senators Who Opposed Russia Sanctions

Washington, D.C. - House Foreign Affairs Committee Lead Republican Michael McCaul has issued the following statement after the Senate failed to enact mandatory sanctions against the Russian malign influence project Nord Stream 2. Mandatory sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline have previously received bipartisan support in both the House and Senate.

"After President Biden ignored the will of Congress and waived the mandatory sanctions on the Russian malign influence project known as Nord Stream 2, he, along with Germany, pledged to punish the Putin regime if it weaponized energy - which it has since done. So it's incredibly disappointing more than 40 Senators caved to the Biden Administration's relentless lobbying to allow Putin's malign behavior to go unchecked. The message of appeasement this sends to Vladimir Putin as he amasses Russian troops on Ukraine's border setting up what could be the biggest conflict in Europe since Word War II is wildly dangerous and utterly unacceptable. Nord Stream 2 is a threat to U.S. national security and any actions made to allow it to come online only furthers that threat. Full stop.

"I want to thank those Republican and Democrat Senators who did the right thing for U.S. national security."