Republican Senators Reintroduce Sanctions Bill

Four Republicans senators reintroduced a bill last week that would require that the executive branch impose sanctions on foreigners responsible for taking U.S. hostages, even if those responsible are government officials. It also creates a mechanism for Congress to require that an administration open a review if a government official was responsible for a hostage taking, and therefore, must be covered by the sanctions. The bill was sponsored by Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind. and Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., and introduced April 16. Hawley and Cotton sponsored another bill, called the Global Hostages Act, in 2019 that did not move in committee. Although it is called the Global Hostage Act, it would also apply to politically motivated harassment, abuse, extortion or arrests of American citizens and permanent residents, not just imprisonment or detainment.