House

Here are the 39 US lawmakers who were not sanctioned by Russia

by Lexi Lonas - 04/14/22 8:24 PM ET

On Wednesday, Russia sanctioned all but 39 House members in a diplomatic tit-for-tat with the United States amid mounting tensions over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

Those on the sanctions list included 398 House lawmakers, including delegates from U.S. territories and the District of Columbia.

The list did not fall along predictable lines. A number of GOP lawmakers who voted against recent bills sanctioning Russia were on list, while some of the leading Democrats advancing those policies were left off. Some of the most vocal Republicans supporting Ukraine were also not on the sanctions list.

The three votes included in The Hill’s analysis were a vote ending normal trade relations with Russia, an investigation into Russia for war crimes and a ban on Russian oil.

Despite voting against these bills, GOP members including Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) were still sanctioned.

However, Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), the ranking member on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), the committee’s chair, were not sanctioned, despite introducing the bill aimed at documenting war crimes committed by Russia.

The unsanctioned list also includes high-profile names such as House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) and Rep. Adam Kingzinger (R-Ill.).

In a release announcing the sanctions, Russia’s Foreign Ministry noted that other U.S. lawmakers, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), had previously been banned from entering the country.

Here is a rundown of which House members were sanctioned by Russia Wednesday, and which ones were not.

Notable names left off the list:

Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.)

McCarthy has been supportive of all three measures against Russia and has condemned others in his party for their criticism of Ukraine during the war.

After Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a “thug,” McCarthy said: “Madison is wrong. If there’s any thug in this world, it’s Putin.”

McCarthy has also previously advocated for the Biden administration to send Ukraine MiG fighter jets to combat Russian forces.

Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.)

Kinzinger has voted for all three measures against Russia and hit back at Republican colleagues who have voted against measures supportive of Ukraine.

He called it “unreal” after three Republicans voted against a resolution that reiterated the U.S.’s support for Ukraine’s sovereignty after the invasion.

Kinzinger also previously supported a no-fly zone over Ukraine despite the unpopularity of the measures by other lawmakers.

“This is a good moment to renew my call for a no fly zone, at the invitation of the Ukraine government. I fear if this continues, we will have to intervene in a bigger way,” Kinzinger said.

Michael McCaul (R-Texas) and Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.)

McCaul and Meeks, each party’s top members on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, introduced the recently passed bipartisan legislation that calls on the Biden administration to document Russian war crimes in Ukraine.

Meeks said the bill “requires the Administration to detail the process our government will undertake to collect, analyze, and preserve evidence of these war crimes, so that perpetrators of these and other atrocities are held accountable.”

“These horrific atrocities in Bucha have made one thing crystal clear: No country, no country, can remain neutral in the face of this evil. The entire world needs to rally against Mr. Putin and these war crimes,” McCaul said.

Maxine Waters (D-Calif.)

Waters, chairwoman of the House Financial Services Committee, has been adamant in her support of Ukraine and has called on all companies to halt business in Ukraine.

She requested more than 30 prominent corporate lobbying groups provide details on the mass exodus of companies that left Russia after Ukraine invaded.

Waters also wants a list of companies that continue to do business in Russia and an explanation for why they are still operating in the country.

Tom Malinowski (D-N.J.)

Malinowski, vice chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, represents the district with the largest Ukrainian population in the state of New Jersey.

Malinowski, who previously served in the State Department, has praised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for his actions and called for harsh sanctions against Russian elites quickly after the war began.

“Endemic corruption and theft from the Russian people fuels Putin’s repression and military aggression; it is also his greatest political vulnerability,” he previously said.

Republicans who opposed measures against Russia still sanctioned

Rep. Warren Davidson (Ohio) is the only Republican who voted against investigating Russia for war crimes who was not hit by Russian sanctions.

GOP Reps. Andy Biggs (Ariz.), Paul Gosar (Ariz.), Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.), Thomas Massie (Ky.) and Scott Perry (Pa.) all were hit by Russian sanctions despite their vote against the Russia war crimes bill. Greene, Biggs, Gosar and Massie also voted against barring Russia from importing oil to the U.S.

Davidson voted in favor of ending Russian imports of oil and halting normal trade relations with Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

Davidson also led a bipartisan letter after Russia invaded Ukraine to President Biden, telling the president to respect separation of powers and get authorization from Congress before any potential troop involvement in the country.

Republicans supportive of Ukraine not hit by sanctions

Other Republicans who were not sanctioned by Russia have been vocally supportive of Ukraine’s efforts to fight Russia’s invasion and voted in favor of all measures targeting Russia.

The list of unsanctioned lawmakers includes those who have introduced bills supporting Ukraine or were influential in major bills such as barring Russian oil and have visited the border of Ukraine in support after Russia invaded. The GOP members incluce:

Andy Barr (Ky.)

Gus Bilirakis (Fla.)

Kevin Brady (Texas)

Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.)

Richard Hudson (N.C.)

Mike Rogers (Ala.)

Michael Turner (Ohio)

Randy Weber (Texas)

Joe Wilson (S.C.)

More Democrats than Republicans dodged sanctions

The majority of those not hit by Russian sanctions were Democrats, despite the party almost unanimously voting in support of Russian sanctions.

Similar to the Republican list, the Democrats who weren’t sanctioned have been adamant in their condemnation of Russia’ invasion and have supported bills to target Russia in retaliation. They include:

David Cicilline (R.I.)

Steve Cohen (Tenn.)

Gerry Connolly (Va.)

Rosa DeLauro (Conn.)

Ted Deutch (Fla.)

Anna Eshoo (Calif.)

Steny Hoyer (Md.)

Sheila Lee Jackson (Texas)

Marcy Kaptur (Ohio)

William Keating (Mass.)

Raja Krishnamoorthi (Ill.)

Ted Lieu (Calif.)