The Defending American Security from Kremlin Aggression Act, known by the acronym DASKA,U.S. Senate committee backs Russia energy bills, delays vote on sanctions 'from hell'. Reuters, 11 December 2019. was introduced by Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Cory Gardner (R-CO), Ben Cardin (D-MD), John McCain (R-AZ), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) on August 2, 2018.Bipartisan Senate 'Bill From Hell' Calls for 'Crushing' Sanctions Against Russia Fortune, 2 August 2018.
Introduction and passage in Congress In a joint statement on August 2, 2018, Senator Lindsey Graham said, "Our goal is to change the status quo and impose crushing sanctions and other measures against Putin’s Russia until he ceases and desists meddling in the US electoral process, halts cyber-attacks on US infrastructure, removes Russia from Ukraine, and ceases efforts to create chaos in Syria. The sanctions and other measures contained in this bill are the most hard-hitting ever imposed – and a direct result of Putin’s continued desire to undermine American democracy. I strongly believe that DNI Coats’ assessment – that the warning lights are blinking red when it comes to Russian meddling in the 2018 election – is accurate. These sanctions and other measures are designed to respond in the strongest possible fashion."Graham, Menendez, Gardner, Cardin, McCai, Shaheen Introduce Hard Hitting Russia Sanctions Package Senate, 2 August 2018
On August 8, the Russian business-oriented newspaper Kommersant published the full draft text of the bill.Kommersant 8 August 2018 This caused the ruble to fall 2.2%.Russia Braces For 'Crushing' New Sanctions Over Electoral Interference Atlantic Council, 8 August 2018Another wild week in the Russia soap opera CNN, 8 August 2018Russian Ruble Leads World Currency Losses on New U.S. Sanctions Bloomberg, Natasha Doff, Artyom Danielyan, and Rita Nazareth, 8 August 2018
Provisions in the draft bill include:
A ban on some of Russia's largest state banks Sanctions on investment in Russian government or affiliated oil and gas companies Sanctions on Russian individuals suspected of cyber attacks against the United States A new Sanctions Office to fortify the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions ActRussia Braces For 'Crushing' New Sanctions Over Electoral Interference Atlantic Council, 8 August 2018
On 11 December 2019, the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved four energy bills, including the ″Energy Security Cooperation with Allied Partners in Europe Act of 2019″, which is meant to counter Russia’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline, but the committee did not consider DASKA. On 18 December, the Senate panel approved DASKA, with the vote being 17–5 (all five “no” votes came from Republicans); but there was no indication of when the full Senate might vote on the measure.Senate panel advances Russia sanctions bill 'from hell'. Reuters, 18 December 2019.U.S. Senate Panel Advances Russia Sanctions Bill 'From Hell': The legislation must pass the full Senate and House of Representatives before it can be sent for President Donald Trump to sign into law or veto. The Moscow Times, 19 December 2019.
Reactions In February 2019, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded to determining Putin's wealth with "It can hardly be taken seriously. Most probably it’s another Russophobic fuss."
See also Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) Defending Elections from Threats by Establishing Redlines Act (DETER)
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