Defending American Security from Kremlin Aggression Act
The Defending American Security from Kremlin Aggression Act, known by the acronym DASKA, was introduced by Senators Lindsey Graham, Bob Menendez, Cory Gardner, Ben Cardin, John McCain, and Jeanne Shaheen on August 2, 2018.
Introduction and passage in Congress
In a joint statement on August 2, 2018, Senator Lindsey Graham said, "Our goal is to change the status quo and impose crushing sanctions and other measures against Putin’s Russia until he ceases and desists Russian interference in the 2016 [United States elections|meddling] in the US electoral process, halts cyber-attacks on US infrastructure, removes Russia from Ukraine, and ceases efforts to create chaos in Syria. The sanctions and other measures contained in this bill are the most hard-hitting ever imposed – and a direct result of Putin’s continued desire to undermine American democracy. I strongly believe that DNI Coats’ assessment – that the warning lights are blinking red when it comes to Russian meddling in the 2018 election – is accurate. These sanctions and other measures are designed to respond in the strongest possible fashion."On August 8, the Russian business-oriented newspaper Kommersant published the full draft text of the bill. This caused the ruble to fall 2.2%.
Provisions in the draft bill include:
- A ban on some of Russia's largest state banks
- Sanctions on investment in Russian government or affiliated oil and gas companies
- Sanctions on Russian individuals suspected of cyber attacks against the United States
- A new Sanctions Office to fortify the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act