U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, today joined his colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives in voting to advance H.R. 3364, the Russia, Iran, and North Korean Sanctions Act by a bipartisan 419 to 3 vote.

“These bipartisan sanctions hit Russia, Iran, and North Korea where it hurts the most: their wallets,” said Upton. “Russia, Iran, and North Korea all pose serious threats to our national security and consistently undermine global stability. In response, we are using all of the political and economic tools at our disposal to hold these bad actors accountable. I would urge the president to sign these new, sweeping sanctions into law immediately.”

H.R. 3364 enshrines existing sanctions against Russia into law, strengthens sanctions in response to cyber-attacks against the U.S. and other democracies and Russian interference in Ukraine, empowers Congress to review any potential sanctions relief, and works to strengthen trans-Atlantic cooperation in countering Russian aggression.

The bill also contains sanctions for those involved in the Iranian regime’s missile program, its efforts to destabilize the Middle East region and threaten Israel, as well as its ongoing human-rights abuses.

In addition, H.R. 3364 expands sanctions to deter North Korea’s nuclear weapons programs, targets those individuals overseas who employ North Korean slave labor, cracks down on North Korean shipping and use of international ports, and requires the administration to determine whether North Korea is a state sponsor of terrorism.