Make Russia pay for its illegal aggression and war crimes

With the stroke of a pen, former Republican (now Independent) Rep. Kevin Kiley of California has potentially set in motion a welcome and overdue chain of events to punish Russia and help Ukraine.

Russia’s entry into the Middle East war as a belligerent on the side of Iran, along with its brutal air assault on Ukraine after the recent temporary cease-fire, should be all the evidence Congress needs to override President Trump’s objections to aiding Ukraine in its five-year fight against illegal Russian aggression and ongoing war crimes, including the abduction of innocent Ukrainian children.

Here is what his signature on Rep. Gregory Meeks’s (D-N.Y.) discharge petition — an expedited procedure to force floor votes on bills that a majority of House members support — has unleashed.

First, the immediate impact is to allow a House floor vote on Meeks’s Ukraine Support Act, which among other things imposes tougher sanctions on Russia, authorizes up to $8 billion in Foreign Military Financing loans for Ukraine, and reaffirms U.S. support for both Ukraine and NATO. This vote will reassert bipartisan congressional support for Ukraine.

Second, and maybe more importantly, it encourages future votes on other pending legislation that could have an even bigger impact to punish Russia and help Ukraine at no cost to U.S. taxpayers.

Case in point, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), a co-chair of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus, signaled last year that he would file his own discharge petition for his legislation, the Peace through Strength against Russia Act, which contains an enhanced, targeted set of........

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