Neal Calls on Secretary Mnuchin to Delay Removal of Russian Sanctions to Allow for Meaningful Congressional Review

The following press release was published by the U.S. Congress Committee on Ways and Means on Jan. 10, 2019. It is reproduced in full below.

WASHINGTON, DC - Following this afternoon’s classified congressional briefing, Ways & Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal (D-MA) sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin requesting a delay in the lifting of sanctions on businesses tied to Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska. On Dec. 19, 2018, the Treasury Department announced its intention to terminate the sanctions against Rusal, EN+, and EuroSibEnergo (ESE).

“As my colleagues and I indicated in our January 8 letter to you, your notification to Congress was delivered just prior to an adjournment for an extended recess and during which time a government shutdown ensued," wrote Chairman Neal. “These factors frustrate our ability to complete our review of this matter within the 30-day period provided in CAATSA."

Neal reiterated what he told Secretary Mnuchin in this afternoon’s briefing, that “a delay in the removal of sanctions would allow Congress a meaningful opportunity to exercise oversight over this proposed action as intended by CAATSA, including through reviews of relevant intelligence assessments."

Full text of letter can be viewed HERE.

Source: U.S. Congress Committee on Ways and Means