SCOOP: A bipartisan group of senators is introducing a bill to prevent Russia from liquidating gold to withstand biting sanctions.
: “Russia’s massive gold supply is one of the few remaining assets that Putin can use to keep his country’s economy from falling even further," King said in a statement. "By sanctioning these reserves, we can further isolate Russia from the world’s economy and increase the difficulty of Putin’s increasingly-costly military campaign."
"Russia has taken a page out of Venezuela’s book by exploiting a loophole in current sanctions that allows them to launder money through the purchase and sale of gold," Cornyn said. "The U.S. and our allies must be steadfast in standing up to Russian aggression and ensure that we block any escape hatch Putin has in getting around the full weight of our sanctions," said Hassan.Lawmakers looking to approve an aid package for Ukraine as a part of the larger omnibus spending bill are running up against two pressing deadlines: March 11 to avoid a government shutdown and the ongoing Russian invasion.
Senate Democrats will be gathering at Howard University on Wednesday for a caucus retreat, and House Democrats will be in Philadelphia Wednesday through Friday for a similar event —