Rice leads 29 colleagues requesting details on Russian sanctions

U.S. Rep. Tom Rice (R-SC) and more than two dozen of his colleagues want to know how the Biden administration and its new Task Force KleptoCapture plan to enforce new sanctions against the Russian Federation.

The bipartisan group of lawmakers also want to better understand the role of the U.S. Treasury Department in the task force, a new interagency law enforcement entity that will enforce sweeping sanctions, export restrictions and other economic countermeasures imposed by the United States on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, according to a March 4 letter they sent to U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.  

“Russia’s murderous assault on democracy must be condemned to the maximum extent possible,” wrote Rep. Rice and his colleagues, who applauded the Biden administration’s actions against the country thus far “as a good start to isolating Russia financially and cementing Vladimir Putin’s status as a global pariah.”

Among the 29 members who joined Rep. Rice in signing the letter were U.S. Reps. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ), Vern Buchanan (R-FL), Mike Kelly (R-PA), Darin LaHood (R-IL), Brad Wenstrup (R-OH), Ron Estes (R-KS), Lloyd Smucker (R-PA), and Carol Miller (R-WV).

The lawmakers requested Secretary Yellen answer several questions, including what the responsibilities are of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation Division and Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control regarding the new task force.

Rep. Rice, who serves as Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee Republican Leader, also asked for details on how Treasury divisions or bureaus are assisting the task force, how the department will measure the effectiveness of such assistance, and how Americans will be kept informed about Treasury’s accomplishments.

Additionally, the lawmakers asked Yellen if the Treasury Department requires additional enforcement tools to better assist the task force, and to explain how an additional $91 million requested for Treasury in its supplemental funding request will be used to help Ukraine, among other questions.