Bipartisan Bill Expanding Sanctions on Turkey Introduced in Senate

Two stalwart Republican supporters of the president joined with three Democratic senators to say that Congress is united in a push to levy sanctions on Turkey for its invasion of Syria.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said at an Oct. 17 news conference that he expects the bill, introduced that day, to have a veto-proof majority. "We appreciate what the president did with sanctions," Graham said. "We're here to add to it."

Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., scoffed at the notion that the president's announcement that he would double tariffs on Turkish steel would convince Turkey to stop its military advance. He said steel is only 4 percent of Turkey's exports.

The bill would impose sanctions against the Turkish armed forces; Halkbank, which is charged with conspiring to get around sanctions; and more top government officials than the administration targeted. It also requires that CAATSA sanctions -- because of Turkey's decision to buy Russian weaponry -- begin within 30 days. "They will remain in place until Turkey changes its behavior," he said. The Countering American Adversaries Through Sanctions Act offers a menu of options for sanctions, including barring sanctioned parties from the U.S. banking system, but the Treasury Department does not have to go that far. It does, however, have to choose at least five of the sanctions approaches.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., said of these sanctions, "This is not going to be the last step, this is the first step."

Later in the day, after a five-day ceasefire was announced, Blackburn put out a statement that said: "While I am encouraged that the lines of communication are open, this five-day pause in hostilities does not make up for the lives lost, families displaced, and homes destroyed over the course of the Turkish incursion. Turkey must be held accountable for its destabilization of northern Syria, as well as its massacre of our Kurdish partners. Russia must not be given any geopolitical space; ISIS must not be allowed to resurge. Until Turkey has agreed to a permanent solution that achieves these objectives, the United States must hold strong and these sanctions must remain on the table.”

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., said Turkey should know "it's not just President Trump who speaks for America on foreign policy, it's also Congress."

Graham said the bipartisan bill is a message to Turkey, but also to Russia and China, if there is a violent crackdown in Hong Kong or an invasion in Eastern Europe. He said, "The reason we're doing this is China's watching. Russia's watching. Iran's watching."