Many Progressive lawmakers issued statements backing President Biden further sanctioning the Kremlin after Russia invaded Ukraine, though warned against sanctions that would affect the people of Russia.
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., warned against “broad-based sanctions” that “amount to collective punishment” against the Russian people.
“I support sanctions that are targeted at Putin, his oligarchs, and the Russian military, including and especially targeted at their offshore assets,” Omar announced. “But I will continue to oppose broad-based sanctions that would amount to collective punishment of a Russian population that did not choose this.”
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“I am heartened that the Biden Administration has included humanitarian exemptions and general licenses to the first tranche of sanctions, but I am also aware that exemptions and licenses have never been sufficient to prevent indiscriminate human suffering,” she went on.
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Omar called for “making allowances for humanitarian organizations to operate in sanctioned territory, and it also includes preparing to welcome the likely influx of refugees fleeing the conflict.”
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Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., also cautioned against imposing brutal sanctions against Russia, rather calling on the U.S. to push for diplomacy in the face of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aggression.
“Putin’s murderous dictatorship is killing people right now in a brutal and illegal invasion of Ukraine,” she stated. “Now is the time for us to act with moral clarity. We must use every tool to save lives and promote diplomacy — not military escalation or inhumane sanctions.”
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Biden declared new sanctions on Thursday.
“I’m authorizing additional strong sanctions and new limitations on what can be exported to Russia. This is going to impose severe costs on the Russian economy, both immediately and over time,” Biden announced.
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Not all Progressives explicitly call for Biden to hold back on sanctions. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., demanded severe sanctions on Putin and Russian oligarchs and pushed for diplomacy, though he did not say Biden should hold back on farther-reaching sanctions against Russia.
Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., called for de-escalation without specifically panning the idea of certain sanctions. He announced the Biden Administration has to “do all it can to create conditions that may require Russia to engage in diplomacy that would result in an immediate ceasefire, at minimum.”
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On the GOP side, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said we are “all together at this point, and we need to be together about what should be done” while calling for harsher sanctions.
“But I have some advice. Ratchet the sanctions all the way up. Don’t hold back. Every single available tough sanction should be employed and should be employed now,” McConnell stated. “There's no such thing as a little invasion.”
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