Sponsors (19)
The bill strengthens U.S. tools and international cooperation to deter attacks and reduce nuclear risk at Zaporizhzhia—improving protection for civilians and enabling targeted sanctions—while raising the prospects of geopolitical escalation, higher economic and compliance costs, and rights/oversight concerns for affected individuals and organizations.
Ukrainian civilians near the Zaporizhzhia plant, local governments, and allied partners will benefit from increased U.S. diplomatic pressure, sanctions, and asset-blocking that deter attacks, promote demilitarization, and reduce the risk of a nuclear accident.
Humanitarian organizations and people in need in Ukraine will be able to continue receiving food, medicine, and transport because the bill exempts humanitarian transactions from sanctions.
U.S. and allied authorities will have legal basis to target and disrupt Russian entities tied to the plant (via targeted sanctions, export controls, and blocking access to U.S. assets), reducing hostile actors' funding and operational capacity.
U.S. citizens abroad, regional civilians, and global markets may face increased geopolitical tensions and a higher risk of escalation because formal findings and sanctions raise the stakes with Russia.
Consumers, taxpayers, state governments, and energy markets may see higher prices, greater volatility, and strained civilian nuclear cooperation as sanctions and restrictions complicate energy and industrial relationships.
Immigrants and foreign nationals designated under the law will be barred from U.S. visas/admission and face immediate revocation of existing visas, harming individuals and potentially complicating humanitarian or diplomatic ties.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Introduced January 16, 2025 by Gregory W. Meeks · Last progress January 16, 2025
Requires the President to impose sanctions on any non-U.S. person who, since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, has endangered the safety, integrity, or Ukrainian operational control of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station. Sanctions include blocking property and transactions under U.S. emergency economic authorities and making such persons inadmissible to the United States and ineligible for visas, with mandatory revocation of existing visas. Includes narrow exceptions for U.S. obligations to the U.N. headquarters, humanitarian actions (food, medicine, medical devices, humanitarian assistance, related financial transactions, and transport), and for foreign persons working to help restore Ukrainian operational control; authorizes use of specified IEEPA authorities, applies IEEPA civil/criminal penalties to violations of implementing regulations, and permits a presidential waiver for vital national security reasons with pre-notification to congressional foreign affairs committees.