Press Releases

House of Representatives Passes Rep. Waltz Bill to Coordinate Sanctions Lists

WASHINGTON, D.C. - On Monday, the United States House of Representatives passed U.S. Congressman Mike Waltz’s H.R. 5613, the Sanctions Lists Harmonization Act, to require coordination between the federal agencies managing prohibited party lists whenever a new entity is added.

“Under current law, our federal agencies are not required to communicate when foreign entities are added to sanction lists, which can hamper restrictions on dangerous foreign actors," said Waltz. "For example, an entity might be denied an export license by the Department of Commerce but still be allowed to conduct banking transactions through the Department of the Treasury. This legislation ensures that our national security agencies work together, strengthening sanctions and hitting these bad actors where it counts. 

“With this bill now passed in the House, we’re taking a critical step toward closing the gaps in our sanctions enforcement. I call on the Senate to quickly take up this bill so that America can more thoroughly enforce the sanctions that we impose."

The U.S. Government maintains various sanctions lists with different jurisdiction authorities. The bill does not mandate inclusion on any list. After review, if an entity is not included, the bill requires the agency to inform Congress of its reasoning.

The full text of H.R. 5613 can be found here.