Press Releases

Today, U.S. Representatives Suzan DelBene (WA-01), Bill Pascrell, Jr. (NJ-09), and Tom Rice (SC-07) led 27 of their House Ways and Means Committee colleagues asking U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen for answers on how the Biden administration and its new Task Force KleptoCapture will enforce new sanctions against the Russian Federation and its leaders and how the Treasury Department will hold Russia accountable.

“Wednesday, the Biden administration announced the creation of Task Force KleptoCapture, an interagency law enforcement task force dedicated to enforcing these sweeping sanctions, along with export restrictions and other economic countermeasures the United States has imposed.  We applaud this action.  So that we may better understand the role of the Department of the Treasury on the Task Force, we respectfully request answers,” the members write Treasury Secretary Yellen.

The new letter is signed by Representatives DelBene, Pascrell, Rice, Vern Buchanan (FL-16), John Larson (CT-01), Adrian Smith (NE-03), Earl Blumenauer (OR-03), Tom Reed (NY-23), Ron Kind (WI-03), Mike Kelly (PA-16), Danny Davis (IL-07), Jason Smith (MO-08), Linda Sanchez (CA-38), Darin LaHood (IL-18), Brian Higgins (NY-26), Brad Wenstrup (OH-02), Terri Sewell (AL-07), Drew Ferguson (GA-03), Gwen Moore (WI-04), Ron Estes (KS-04), Dan Kildee (MI-05), Lloyd Smucker (PA-11), Brendan Boyle (PA-02), Carol Miller (WV-03), Dwight Evans (PA-03), Greg Murphy (NC-03), Brad Schneider (IL-10), Tom Suozzi (NY-03), Jimmy Panetta (CA-20), and Stephanie Murphy (FL-07).

The full text of the members’ letter is below:

March 4, 2022

The Honorable Janet L. Yellen

Secretary

U.S. Department of the Treasury

1500 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, D.C. 20220

Dear Secretary Yellen,           

We write today concerning a matter of much urgency to us all—Vladimir Putin’s violent and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.  Following the invasion, the United States took immediate steps to strengthen sanctions on Russia, Russian businesses, and Russian oligarchs who profit from the regime’s vile cruelty.  We applaud the Biden Administration’s action as a good start to isolating Russia financially and cementing Vladimir Putin’s status as a global pariah. 

Wednesday, the Biden administration announced the creation of Task Force KleptoCapture (Task Force), an interagency law enforcement task force dedicated to enforcing these sweeping sanctions, along with export restrictions and other economic countermeasures the United States has imposed.  We applaud this action.  So that we may better understand the role of the Department of the Treasury (Treasury) on the Task Force, we respectfully request answers to the following questions by no later than Wednesday, March 9, 2022:

1. What are the responsibilities of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation (CI) division with respect to the Task Force?
2. Is the Task Force working with Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)?  If so, what are OFAC’s responsibilities? 
3. How do CI’s and OFAC’s responsibilities with respect to the Task Force differ from or supplement their preexisting responsibilities with respect to sanctions?
4. How are other Treasury divisions or bureaus working to assist the Task Force?
5. How will Treasury measure the effectiveness of its assistance?  How will the public be kept abreast of Treasury’s accomplishments?
6. Does Treasury require additional enforcement tools to better assist the task force?
7. The Administration has requested an additional $91 million for Treasury in its supplemental funding request for Ukraine.  Please detail how this funding will be used. What portion of the $91 million will be used for the Task Force? And is that amount adequate to carry out the intended goals of the Task Force?
8. How will the Task Force ensure Russia will not use cryptocurrency to evade sanctions?

Thank you for Treasury’s critical work in this area and for your prompt attention to this letter.  Russia’s murderous assault on democracy must be condemned to the maximum extent possible. 

Sincerely,