Donnelly Welcomes President Trump’s Intention to Re-designate North Korea as a State Sponsor of Terrorism

Indianapolis, Ind. – Today U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly released the following statement after President Trump announced his intention to re-designate North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism.  

Donnelly said, “I have repeatedly called for stronger action against the rogue Kim regime, and I welcome President Trump’s decision to re-designate North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism. I hope the Senate will quickly take up and pass bipartisan legislation I helped shape to again increase sanctions on North Korea and its backers, and I will continue pressing for the president to present Congress with an effective strategy to counter the growing threat posed by Kim Jong Un’s nuclear arsenal.”  

Through the Senate Armed Services and Banking Committees, Donnelly has worked successfully on efforts to counter North Korea. His provision to require a comprehensive strategy from the Administration and the Department of Defense to confront the threat posed by North Korea passed as part of the national defense bill and is expected to be signed into law soon. Donnelly’s measure requires the President to bring to Congress, within 90 days of enactment, a North Korean strategy. Earlier this month, the Banking Committee unanimously supported the Banking Restrictions Involving North Korea (BRINK) Act, which included a Donnelly amendment that would help ensure the Department of Treasury has the tools and resources it needs to effectively enforce US sanctions globally. The BRINK Act will now advance for consideration by the full Senate. 

Donnelly has called for increased sanctions to counter North Korea’s weapons program and crack down on those enabling the rogue regime. As Ranking Member of the Banking Committee’s National Security and International Trade and Finance Subcommittee, Donnelly co-led a hearing with Subcommittee Chairman Senator Ben Sasse (R-NE) to assess U.S. and international sanctions against North Korea and China in relation to North Korea’s nuclear missile program, and to push the Administration on its options to expand sanctions. And, Donnelly and Sasse continued their calls for increased sanctions on both North Korea and China, designed to crack down on North Korea’s weapons program. Following the Administration’s latest sanctions imposed against North Korea in September, Donnelly welcomed the additional action, which was in line with the Senator’s push. 

Earlier this year, Donnelly helped shape increased sanctions on North Korea, Russia, and Iran, which the Senate passed and President Trump signed into law.