U.S. Lawmakers Vote to Tighten Sanctions on North Korea
February 12 2016 - 1:26PM
Dow Jones News
By Kristina Peterson
WASHINGTON--The House of Representatives on Friday passed
legislation tightening sanctions on North Korea in a bid to
increase economic pressure on the country after recent tests fueled
concerns over its nuclear capabilities.
The 408-2 vote in the House sends the bill to the White House,
where President Barack Obama is expected to sign it. The Senate
approved the legislation earlier this week in a unanimous 96-0
vote.
The bill would impose new sanctions on companies and individuals
involved in North Korea's nuclear-weapons program and cyberwarfare
operations. It would also target anyone doing business with those
entities-- including Chinese firms--in an effort to inflict serious
economic consequences for supporting North Korea's nuclear
ambitions.
"We need to keep tightening the screws" on North Korea, House
Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R., Calif.) told
reporters Friday. "This acceleration of the weapons program of
North Korea--made possible by the illicit activity North Korea is
involved in--that has to be shut down."
The two dissenters were GOP Reps. Justin Amash of Michigan and
Thomas Massie of Kentucky. Mr. Massie voted against the bill
because he believes it expands the president's executive authority
and legitimizes the United Nations, which he believes should be
dissolved, according to his spokesman.
Imposing new sanctions on North Korea had broad bipartisan
support in Congress even before North Korea said last weekend that
it had put a satellite into space from a multistage rocket. The
United Nations Security Council said Sunday that the rocket launch
was a threat to world security and a clear violation of U.N.
resolutions banning North Korea from developing its nuclear
program.
The U.S. and other nations view North Korea's satellite program
as covert testing of missiles because of the similarities between
the launching of a satellite and the firing of a warhead at a
target.
Write to Kristina Peterson at kristina.peterson@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
February 12, 2016 13:11 ET (18:11 GMT)
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