Washington, DC – Today, Rep. Ron Kind cosponsored and voted for bipartisan legislation to suspend normal trade relations with Russia and Belarus.
“Yesterday, my colleagues and I heard directly from President Zelensky in a powerful virtual address to Congress. The Ukrainian people continue to show incredible bravery in the face of Putin’s unjustified attack and we firmly stand with them,” said Rep. Ron Kind. “Last week, I supported new funding to provide humanitarian, economic, and defense assistance to Ukraine and today I was proud to vote for further legislation to hold Russia accountable for its unconscionable actions and make it an international pariah. Suspending normal trade relations is a critical tool to help us support Ukraine and defend democracy.”
This legislation provides additional provisions to expand the United States’ trade tools to stop Russia’s unprovoked and unjust war on Ukraine and to hold Belarus accountable for its complicity. This bill would:
- Provide the President with time-limited authority to increase tariffs on products of Russia and Belarus, until January 1, 2024.
- Require the U.S. Trade Representative to use the voice and influence of the United States to seek suspension of Russia’s participation in the World Trade Organization (WTO) and to halt Belarus’ WTO accession and accession-related work.
- Provide the President with the authority to restore normal trade relations with Russia and Belarus if these countries have ceased their acts of aggression against Ukraine and other certain conditions are met. Congress has the authority to overrule such a decision through a congressional disapproval process.
Last week, Rep. Kind voted for the bipartisan government funding bill which included $13.6 billion in aid to Ukraine. This legislation signed into law on March 15, 2022. Additionally, Rep. Kind voted for bipartisan legislation to ban the import of Russian oil and energy products into the United States as well as further steps to isolate Russia from the global economy on March 9, 2022.
Rep. Kind serves on the Subcommittee on Trade for the Ways and Means Committee, the most powerful – and the oldest – committee in the House of Representatives. It has jurisdiction over tax measures, the management of public debt, trade and tariff laws, Social Security, Medicare, pensions, and many other economic growth measures.
Read the bipartisan bill here.
