Congressman Kean leads letter to President Biden opposing blanket renewal of Russia sanctions exemptions

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The House Foreign Affairs, Europe Subcommittee Chairman Tom Kean, Jr. (NJ-07) and eight Republican members Friday sent a letter to President Joe Biden opposing the blanket renewal of General License 8, which creates a large exemption in U.S. sanctions on Russia by authorizing certain energy-related transactions.

Last week, the license was renewed by the Treasury Department for the eighth time since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

“We should be maximizing sanctions on Russia wherever possible, particularly on the Russian energy industry, which provides billions of dollars of revenue for the Kremlin every month” Kean said. “Now more than ever, we must cut off every avenue Putin has to refill his coffers and fuel his war machine in Ukraine. As such, I do not support President Biden’s decision to issue a blanket renewal of General License 8 and urge the administration to finally tighten or remove this gaping hole in our Russia’s sanctions regime.”

To view the letter, click here.