House advances Kinzinger’s bipartisan pro-Georgia bill

The U.S. House of Representatives on Oct. 22 approved a bipartisan bill introduced by U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) to support Georgia, a country at the intersection of Europe and Asia.

“Today, the House reasserted the importance of a strong U.S.-Georgia partnership, and I thank my colleagues for their support,” said Rep. Kinzinger.

The Illinois congressman is the lead original cosponsor of the Georgia Support Act, H.R. 598, with bill sponsor U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) and 29 other cosponsors to reaffirm the United States’ continued support for the independence and sovereignty of Georgia, a former Soviet republic that’s home to Caucasus Mountain villages and Black Sea beaches.

“Georgia has been a strong ally to the United States and ensuring its territorial sovereignty is essential to European security and American interests,” Rep. Kinzinger said on Tuesday during floor debate on the bill. “Since the Russian invasion in 2008, Georgia has been in a battle for its very right to exist due to Putin’s flagrant aggression.”

If enacted, America’s opposition to such aggression would be reaffirmed under H.R. 598, which also would authorize sanctions against those responsible for, or complicit in, human rights violations in the occupied territories of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

“The United States plays a pivotal role in encouraging our Georgian allies to continue working towards independence and complete separation from their aggressive neighbor, Russia,” said Rep. Kinzinger. “I’m proud of their efforts and aspirations to join the NATO alliance, and applaud their commitment to democratic values.”

Rep. Connolly said the House vote on H.R. 598 “sends a clear and unequivocal statement of support to the people of Georgia in their struggle against an ever-looming Russian threat.”

The U.S. Senate on Oct. 23 received the measure and referred it for consideration to the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee.