Shaheen Welcomes Newly Imposed Russian Sanctions

**SHAHEEN: “These sanctions announced today are long overdue and begin to deliver the tough punishment that is absolutely necessary to defend our democracy”** 

**Shaheen was recently blacklisted by the Kremlin for her leadership in passing Russian sanctions legislation in the Senate**

(Washington, DC)—U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), the only woman on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement after the Trump administration announced a series of sanctions, authorized by legislation that Senator Shaheen was instrumental in ushering through the Senate, on Russian organizations and individuals who interfered in the 2016 elections:

“When Congress passed tough sanctions legislation last year, the intent was to send a clear message to Vladimir Putin that interference in our elections would not be tolerated,” said Shaheen. “These sanctions announced today are long overdue and begin to deliver the tough punishment that is absolutely necessary to defend our democracy. These sanctions also affirm the investigation being conducted by Special Counsel Mueller that has been pursuing many of these same individuals and organizations. However, I remain very concerned about President Trump’s disregard for the threat that the Kremlin continues to pose to fundamental institutions of our government and democracy, which is reflected in his administration’s lackluster response. It’s absolutely imperative that the Trump administration marshal an aggressive federal response to Russia’s hybrid attacks on our country.”

In a recent hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Shaheen questioned the Director of the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command Admiral Michael Rogers. During their exchange, Admiral Rogers said in regards to whether he’d been authorized by the President to do more to respond to Russian attacks, “No, I have not … I haven’t been granted any, you know, additional authorities, capacity and capability.”

Senator Shaheen led an effort to urge Senate leadership to act on Russian sanctions legislation and was a key negotiator on the initial version of this legislation that passed the Senate in June. Senator Shaheen was recently blacklisted by the Russian government, in part, because of her strong support for Russian sanctions. She has been an outspoken critic of President Putin’s authoritarian regime and was the first in Congress to call for hearings on Russian interference in the 2016 elections.