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U.S. government agencies have different criteria for sanctioning adversaries and preventing them from engaging in the U.S. economy. Our biggest foreign adversaries, like China, benefit from this lack of interagency coordination, which must come to an immediate end.  

U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) introduced the Sanctions List Harmonization Act. This bill would require the U.S. Department of Treasury, U.S. Department of Commerce, and U.S. Department of Defense to notify one another when a foreign individual or entity is placed on certain sanction lists.

• “It’s common sense for agencies to flag when an individual or entity is sanctioned under U.S. law. America must strengthen its interagency coordination and prevent bad actors, such as Communist China, Russia, and Iran, from taking advantage of a disjointed policy. We must enact measures to counter the reality that our adversaries are evading U.S. sanctions.” – Senator Rubio

• “As authoritarian regimes and actors around the world continue to undermine the freedoms and basic human rights of their peoples, the United States must act clearly and decisively by enforcing U.S. sanctions. By ensuring our federal agencies take a cohesive approach when reviewing and imposing sanctions on bad actors attempting to evade U.S. law, we will continue to defend those fighting against the oppression of authoritarianism.” – Senator Merkley

U.S. Representative Mike Waltz (R-FL) introduced companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill passed the House unanimously.

Want more information? 

• July 2024: Rubio Introduces Bill to Counter Adversarial Financial Systems