WalorskiU.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.) Monday released the following statement after President Trump announced North Korea would be redesignated as a state sponsor of terrorism:

“I strongly support President Trump’s decision to designate North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism, a critical tool for holding this rogue regime accountable. Congress will continue working with the administration to counter Kim Jong-un’s dangerous and destabilizing actions and to protect the safety and security of the American people.”

BACKGROUND

Congress has taken action in recent months to increase pressure on rogue regimes and give the administration more tools to counter the North Korean threat.

  • H.R. 3898, the Otto Warmbier North Korea Nuclear Sanctions Act, would sanction foreign banks that do business with any entity that helps fund the Kim Jong-un regime’s dangerous activities, including its nuclear and missile programs. The bill, named for the American student tortured to death by the North Korean regime, would impose the strongest sanctions ever on the regime and its financial supporters. It passed the House in October.
  • H.R. 3364, the Countering Adversarial Nations Through Sanctions Act, strengthens sanctions on rogue regimes, including North Korea over its nuclear and missile programs. It was signed into law in August.
  • H.R. 1644, the Korean Interdiction and Modernization of Sanctions Act, would impose sanctions on North Korea, specifically targeting its shipping industry and entities abroad that use North Korean slave labor. It passed the House in May.
  • H.R. 479, the North Korea State Sponsor of Terrorism Designation Act, would require the State Department to decide whether to formally designate North Korea a state sponsor of terrorism. It passed the House in April.
  • H.Res. 92 would condemn North Korea’s intercontinental ballistic missile development program, which violates UN Security Council resolutions. It passed the House in April.

Walorski represents the 2nd Congressional District of Indiana, serving as a member of the House Ways and Means Committee.