Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks to members of the media on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2019. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Ted Cruz’s Nord Stream 2 sanctions bill blocked by Senate Democrats

Asher Notheis January 13, 11:40 PMJanuary 13, 11:40 PM

Senate Democrats defeated Sen. Ted Cruz’s Nord Stream 2 bill to impose heavy sanctions on the company behind a pipeline built to allow Russia to send natural gas to Germany.

The final vote Thursday on the legislation, which President Joe Biden’s administration opposes, was 55-44. Although the bill did not reach the 60 votes needed to pass, it did receive support from some Democrats, including Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto, Jacky Rosen, Tammy Baldwin, Maggie Hassan, Mark Kelly, and Raphael Warnock.

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Sen. Rand Paul was the only Republican who voted against the bill, according to Axios.

The Nord Stream 2 pipeline, favored by Russian President Vladimir Putin, is routed to allow Russia to send national gas to Germany without passing through Ukraine, depriving that country of transit fees. The pipeline has been constructed but not yet certified. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has argued that Putin’s desire to see the pipeline activated gives Western powers leverage as the Kremlin amasses troops on the Ukrainian border.

Cruz previously told the Washington Examiner it would be “far better to impose sanctions before an invasion rather than after an invasion.”

VOTING DOWN NORD STREAM 2 SANCTIONS, SENATE DEMOCRATS HELP PUTIN AND GET PLAYED BY GERMANY

Biden should “reverse his catastrophic decision to grant Russia waivers from congressionally mandated sanctions,” the Texas senator wrote on Twitter on Thursday. “Only immediately imposing sanctions can change Putin’s calculation, stop a Ukrainian invasion, and lift the existential threat posed by Nord Stream 2,” Cruz added.

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Biden waived a previous sanctions mandate in May in order to avoid a falling out with outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who supported the pipeline.

Sen. Bob Menendez, the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, introduced a bill backed by the White House that would impose sanctions on Russia and provide military assistance to Ukraine if Russia escalates hostile actions against its neighbor.

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Originally appeared at Washington Examiner

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