21st Century Peace through Strength Act sponsored by McCaul

U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) on Wednesday sponsored comprehensive legislation that would authorize the president to impose certain sanctions on Russia and Iran.

“In order to truly confront the generational threat posed by the unholy alliance of Russia, China, and Iran, we need to make substantive policy changes in addition to providing critical security assistance to our partners and investing in our defense industrial base,” said Rep. McCaul, chairman of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee.

The congressman unveiled the 184-page 21st Century Peace through Strength Act, H.R. 8038, which serves as the House Republican national security supplemental package. The bill includes myriad provisions pulled from multiple pieces of legislation sponsored and supported by House Foreign Affairs Committee Republicans.

For example, H.R. 8038 includes a provision that would empower the Executive Branch to transfer frozen Russian sovereign assets to Ukraine to help Ukraine continue fighting and to rebuild, according to a bill summary provided by Rep. McCaul.

H.R. 8038 also would require mandatory sanctions against Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Al-Asqa Martyr’s Brigade, the Lion’s Den, and other Palestinian terrorist groups and their supporters, and on individuals trafficking illicit captagon, such as war criminal Bashar al-Assad.

Sanctions on ports and refineries that receive and process Iranian oil also would be required under H.R. 8038, which also would further restrict the export or re-export of U.S.-origin goods and technology to Iran, including those used to manufacture missiles and drones attacking U.S. forces across the Middle East and by Russian President Vladimir Putin against Ukraine, the summary says.

Among numerous other provisions, H.R. 8038 also would require mandatory sanctions on anyone involved in activity covered under the United Nations’ missile embargo on Iran that lapsed in October 2023, and on anyone involved in the supply, sale, or transfer of, or support for, Iran’s missiles and drones, states the summary.

Thus far, H.R. 8038 has garnered seven cosponsors, including U.S. Reps. French Hill (R-AR) and Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL).