OREGON
A6 — THE OBSERVER
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2022
Oregon’s congressional delegation backs Russian sanctions
Oregonians told
to be ready for
economic impacts
By LES ZAITZ
Oregon Capital Chronicle
WASHINGTON —
Nearly every member of
Oregon’s Congressional
delegation on Thursday,
Feb. 24, condemned Rus-
sia’s invasion of Ukraine
and backed sanctions to
punish the invaders.
U.S. Sen.
Ron Wyden,
D-Oregon
and chair of
the Senate
Finance
Committee,
Wyden
said in a vir-
tual town
hall Feb. 24 in Eugene that
Russia’s action was “an
unprovoked attack on a
sovereign nation based on
blatant lies.”
He said he supported
the “very toughest eco-
nomic sanctions” against
Russia and its president,
Vladimir Putin.
President Joe Biden
announced a second
round of sanctions he said
were intended to starve
the Russian economy of
money.
“We ought to keep
pushing those tough sanc-
tions until Putin is practi-
cally carrying around his
rubles in a wheelbarrow,”
Wyden said.
By the afternoon of
Feb. 24, only one member
of the Oregon delegation
had not spoken publicly
about the international
crisis.
U.S. Rep. Cliff Bentz,
R-Oregon, didn’t respond
to ques-
tions from
the Capital
Chronicle
and had made
no comments
through
statements or
Bentz
on his social
media channels. The lone
Republican in the Oregon
delegation didn’t answer
whether he supported
former President Trump’s
characterization of Putin’s
actions as “very smart.”
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley,
D-Oregon, who serves on
the Senate Foreign Rela-
tions Committee, said in a
statement Feb. 23 that the
“reckless military cam-
paign” was “attacking the
very foundations of the
international order.”
He backed sanctions as
well.
“I stand ready to exact
the most punishing eco-
nomic costs on Moscow
and its leadership that
have ever been brought to
bear, in concert with our
allies,” Merkley said. “We
must do all we can to sup-
port the Ukrainian people,
particularly those who
are forced to flee their
homes. Innocent civil-
ians should not be trapped
in the crosshairs. Russia
will continue to pay for its
aggression.”
U.S. Rep. Kurt
Schrader, D-Oregon, rep-
resenting the 5th Congres-
sional District, said in a
statement that “Russia’s
Putin’s unjustified attack
on Ukraine is being felt
deeply in Ukrainian com-
munities in my district
and across Oregon.”
Biden warned Ameri-
cans in a speech Feb. 24
that the war would drive
up energy and other costs.
Schrader shared that
warning.
“All Oregonians will
experience the impact of
this conflict as it intro-
duces vast uncertainty
into critical energy mar-
kets that will cost Orego-
nians at the pump, in the
stores due to increased
transportation costs, and
in the production cycle
that relies on these energy
sources for materials,” he
said.
“Russia must be crip-
pled economically,
because it is the only
thing that the oligarchs
that keep Putin in power
understand,” Schrader
said. “Russia must be
Sergei Grits/The Associated Press
Damaged radar, a vehicle and equipment are seen at a Ukrainian military facility outside Mariupol, Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022. Russia
launched a barrage of air and missile strikes on Ukraine early Thursday, and Ukrainian offi cials said Russian troops have rolled into the coun-
try from the north, east and south.
cut off from
financial
institutions,
from energy
markets, and
all oligarch
assets and
Bonamici
visas should
be frozen.”
U.S. Rep. Suzanne
Bonamici, D-Oregon,
serving the 1st Congres-
sional District, said in her
statement that “Putin’s
invasion of Ukraine is
dangerous and requires
a swift response. I sup-
port imposing sanc-
tions, including those
announced by President
Biden and our EU allies,
to condemn
Russia’s
aggressive
actions and
to deter fur-
ther hostili-
ties. We must Blumenauer
use all diplo-
matic and economic tools
at our disposal to protect
the lives and freedom of
Ukrainians.”
U.S. Rep. Earl Blume-
nauer, D-Oregon, repre-
senting the 3rd Congres-
sional District, joined the
call for sanctions.
“Vladimir Putin’s
invasion of Ukraine was
unprovoked, unjustifiable,
and undermines the most
basic norms of interna-
tional law,” he said in his
statement.
He said that as chair
of the House Ways and
Means Subcommittee on
Trade, “I am working to
introduce legislation ter-
minating Russia’s trade
preference status and fur-
ther restrict their access to
American markets.”
He said the attack
would lead to “the largest
refugee crisis in Europe
since the Second World
War.” He said the invasion
isn’t just a distant event
for Oregon.
“Putin’s unprovoked
invasion of Ukraine — an
independent, democratic
and peaceful country — is
not just an issue of inter-
national security, but
deeply personal to many
of us,” he said. “Oregon
is home to tens of thou-
sands of immigrants from
former Soviet repub-
lics, most of whom come
from Ukraine. Many
of our friends, fami-
lies and neighbors are of
Ukrainian descent or have
family in Ukraine. War of
any magnitude will have
devastating consequences
for the innocent people of
Ukraine. The number of
Ukrainian immigrants and
refugees in our state may
soon grow, as individuals
and families are forced to
flee their homes to escape
a bloody conflict they
didn’t ask for.”
Blumenauer said he
shared the president’s dec-
laration that there would be
no deployment of American
troops inside Ukraine.
“The United States must
use every tool at our dis-
posal, short of armed con-
fl ict, to protect Ukraine’s
independence,” he said.
U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio,
D-Eugene,
representing
the 4th Con-
gressional
District,
repeated con-
cerns raised
DeFazio
earlier in the
week that the
president needed to consult
Congress about using mili-
tary force.
“This includes
involving any U.S. troops,
advisers, trainers, spe-
cial forces or any other
U.S. military personnel in
Ukraine,” DeFazio said.
“The American people,
through their representa-
tives in Congress, must
have a say before we
even think about putting
American troops’ lives
in harm’s way or getting
involved in yet another
foreign war.”
He urged con-
tinued efforts at diplo-
macy to halt the Russian
aggression.
“Russia’s brutal dic-
tator, Vladimir Putin, is
a violent thug who is put-
ting his delusions of gran-
deur ahead of the millions
of Ukrainian lives he is
now uprooting and putting
in danger,” DeFazio said.
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