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Russia says ‘Nyet’ to any more visits from hundreds of members of Congress
['Ariana Figueroa', 'More From Author', '- May']
Date: 2022-05-28 00:00:00
WASHINGTON — Hundreds of members of Congress are permanently banned from visiting Russia, in retaliation for passing economic sanctions on the country after it invaded Ukraine in late February.
The list includes nearly 1,000 Americans, including President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, along with celebrities such as actor Morgan Freeman, executives such as Microsoft President Brad Smith and government leaders such as Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
“We emphasize that the hostile actions taken by Washington, which boomerang against the United States itself, will continue to receive a proper rebuff,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “Russian counter-sanctions are forced and aimed at forcing the ruling American regime, which is trying to impose a neo-colonial ‘rules-based world order’ on the rest of the world, to change its behavior, recognizing new geopolitical realities.”
Congress cleared $40 billion in aid to Ukraine earlier this month, the second multi-billion-dollar package since the beginning of the war in late February.
Of the 963 people banned, more than 230 are Republican and Democratic members of Congress. Top congressional leaders also made the list, such as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York and House Majority Whip Steny Hoyer of Maryland.
All but one of Iowa’s congressional delegation made the list. U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, a Republican, told Iowa reporters this week he perhaps should have been included.
“Maybe I’m not because I haven’t been so prominently displayed as people have,” Grassley said, according to Radio Iowa. “I think that’s very important to know that I’ve been tough on Putin, so maybe I should be on the list. I’ve said that either he’s sick or an egomaniac or both.”
Sen. Joni Ernst, a Republican, celebrated her inclusion on the list.
“I consider getting sanctioned by an autocratic, murderous thug a pretty clear sign that I’m doing something right,” Ernst said in a statement. “Vladimir Putin’s lawless, unprovoked, and horrific war on Ukraine will be remembered by history as a despicable and unforgiving act. Putin can put my name at the top of his list.”
Ernst has previously called for the U.S. to “expedite the delivery of weapons and capabilities to Ukraine.” In March, she led a bipartisan Senate delegation to Poland and Germany that “met with military leaders, Ukrainian civil society, refugees and NGOs, and U.S. State Department personnel.”
Iowa Rep. Ashley Hinson, a Republican, called her inclusion on the list a “badge of honor.”
“This is badge of honor, but it is laughable that Putin thinks these sanctions will even slightly deter our efforts to defeat him and support the Ukrainian people in their fight for freedom,” she said in a statement.
Iowa Republican Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Randy Feenstra and Democratic Rep. Cindy Axne were also included in the Russia ban.
— Andrew Kennard contributed to this report.
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