Dem Sen. Cardin: Bipartisan Effort Underway For New Russia Sanctions Bill

Russia could be looking at more sanctions.

A group of bipartisan senators is readying a bill that will "provide congressional authorization for additional sanctions against Russia," Maryland Sen. Ben Cardin said Tuesday, CNN reports.

The news comes one week after the Obama administration penalized Russia for “election interference” by ordering 35 Russian diplomats to leave the country and sanctioning four Russian individuals and five Russian entities. The State Department also shut down two foreign compounds.

Cardin said the sanctions against Russia were a good start "but not sufficient."

"The Russian attack on our democratic institutions is a wake-up call, a political Pearl Harbor as others have noted. I encourage my colleagues in the Senate, the incoming administration and the American people to view it as such," he said in a statement last Thursday.

Now, he’s leading the charge to put more penalties in place. Cardin, though, said this legislation will focus on Russia's actions in Eastern Europe and its role in the Syrian War.

"It will complement and go beyond that," Cardin said of the White House actions, reports CNN. "It complements, but there's separation of powers."

• Trump Slams CNN, NBC on Russia Coverage: 'Don't Have a Clue'
  
• Ex-CIA Officer: Putin 'The Only Adult in the Room' Over Sanctions