Failure of Nord Stream 2 Sanctions Bill Appeases Putin, Lawmaker Says
Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, criticized the Senate’s decision last week to not pass a bill that would have required new sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, saying it sends a “message of appeasement” to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Senate couldn’t reach the 60-vote threshold required to pass the bill after the White House convinced many Democrats to vote against the legislation, which it said would have undermined unity with Europe (see 2201130067).
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“[I]t’s incredibly disappointing more than 40 Senators caved to the Biden Administration’s relentless lobbying to allow Putin’s malign behavior to go unchecked,” McCaul said Jan. 13. “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.” Fifty-five senators voted in favor.
The bill received a Senate majority, which signaled that most of the chamber was in favor of “immediate sanctions on Putin's pipeline,” said Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, Texas, who introduced the measure. “President Biden should listen to the Senate and to the people and government of Ukraine, and reverse his catastrophic decision to grant Russia waivers from congressionally mandated sanctions.”
Many Democrats who voted against the bill instead supported separate legislation introduced by Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., which could impose sweeping new sanctions on Russia’s financial and energy sectors if it further invades Ukraine (see 2201120036).