Sponsors (4)
The bill gives U.S. officials stronger tools to pressure Russia and to repurpose frozen assets for Ukraine, but does so at meaningful economic cost and diplomatic risk, while concentrating asset-disposition power in the executive and reducing avenues for victims to collect judgments.
U.S. policymakers would gain a clear legal authority to designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism, enabling broader sanctions and financial restrictions that increase pressure on Russian state actors and could reduce their access to foreign financing and military supply chains.
Victims of Russian aggression and Ukraine would benefit because the executive could transfer frozen Russian assets to fund relief and reconstruction programs quickly, ensuring funds are available for specified aid programs rather than being tied up in litigation.
Ukrainian farmers, exporters, and aid recipients would be protected because the measure preserves shipments of Ukrainian agricultural exports and humanitarian aid from being targeted, helping maintain food supplies and relief deliveries.
U.S. consumers and taxpayers could face higher energy and commodity costs because designation and allied sanctions risk provoking Russian retaliatory measures that raise global prices.
U.S. businesses and workers (especially small firms) could be harmed by broad secondary sanctions and expanded authorities that disrupt international trade and supply chains, raising costs and threatening jobs.
The designation could escalate tensions and provoke retaliatory actions that risk U.S. national security interests and further instability in global markets.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Deems Russia a state sponsor of terrorism for U.S. law, prevents seizure of frozen Russian assets by courts, preserves executive control over those assets, and sunsets on negotiations or five years.
Official title: To provide for the designation of the Russian Federation as a state sponsor of terrorism.
Introduced May 7, 2026 by Ted Lieu · Last progress May 7, 2026
Deems the Russian Federation a state sponsor of international terrorism for purposes of multiple U.S. laws immediately on enactment, while excluding humanitarian and certain agricultural exports from sanctions. It also prevents courts from attaching or executing judgments against blocked or frozen Russian government assets and preserves executive-branch authority to manage those assets for foreign policy purposes, including support for Ukraine. The designation automatically ends either when the Secretary of State certifies negotiations to end the Russia–Ukraine conflict have begun or five years after enactment, whichever is earlier.