The Trump administration's order for sanctions against Russia are an effective step, even if they aren't the "total answer" in making the country more responsible for its actions, Rep. Mac Thornberry said Friday.
"I think there are more sanctions that could be considered, but we also shouldn't lose sight of what else the administration's been doing," the Texas Republican, who chairs the House Armed Services Committee, told Fox News' "America's Newsroom." "I think he is sending a message that what Russia has been doing across the board is unacceptable."
At the same time, such sanctions send a strong message to North Korea and others "that we'll stand up and defend ourselves," said Thornberry.
The Trump administration has also provided defensive weapons to Ukraine, something lawmakers had pushed the Obama administration to do for years, he added.
"This administration has called out treaty violations, so the sanctions are part of what they're doing," said Thornberry. "It points out Russia's been doing a lot of things, cyber, the targeted assassinations and rebuilding their nukes and putting military capability into Syria. It's a broad range they're doing. We have to have a broad-ranging response."
He said he believes the current sanctions are targeted to the specific individuals, which is appropriate for Russia, "because the best description I've heard is they operate like a Mafia family. So you target some sanctions against oligarchs, and it's good."
The United States could also help wean Europe and other countries from Russian energy, which would further target the oligarchs, said Thornberry.
He also dismissed Russian President Vladimir Putin's threats of retaliation.
"Remember, Putin's like a schoolyard bully," said Thornberry. "He boasts about what he's going to do to you like the speech he gave a couple weeks ago where he laid out all the new nuclear weapons he was talking about ... he'll keep pushing like a bully does, so we have to stand up to him."
Meanwhile, Thornberry said the government also must pass the spending bill by the March 23 deadline, and said there are plans for military spending that many Democrats won't like.
"The first job of the federal government is to defend the country and for the reasons that you were just getting in the report from the Pentagon, we have fallen behind in supporting our men and women adequately," said Thornberry. "The bill that we're going to vote on next week for all its flaws, begins to fix those problems and to me that overrides any other concern anybody has."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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