The bill, co-sponsored by U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-New York, was approved by a voice vote, Demings’ office said. The bill has no direct Senate counterpart, but its language is part of the bipartisan “Defending American Security from Kremlin Aggression Act” sponsored by U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J.
The bill would direct the U.S. intelligence community to give reports to Congress about “the financial assets and hidden networks used by Russian President Vladimir Putin.”
“This bipartisan legislation is a crucial first step to ensure that the rights of the American people matter more than corrupt Russian money, ” said Demings, D-Orlando, in a statement.
“To protect our national security and our democracy, it’s vital that we investigate and expose the Russian president’s financial networks and cut off the illegal funding for these criminal attacks against our country,” Demings said. “This legislation will expose the corrupt finances being used to fund attacks against our democracy.”
Stefanik said “Putin and his corrupt allies seek to weaken democracies globally by consolidating political control through unethical means, and they must be brought to account for their actions.”
Demings and Stefanik previously introduced the Defend Against Russia Disinformation Act in 2018 to strengthen federal cybersecurity. That bill did not get through committee.
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