Today is the five-year anniversary of the Obama Administration’s declaration of a “reset” with Russia. The occasion was marked by then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s ceremonial gift of a reset button to her Russian counterpart, with the Obama Administration pledging a “new start” with U.S.-Russian relations.

That fresh start doesn’t look very good today.

Last month, then-President Viktor Yanukovich fled Ukraine as a result of escalating conflicts between anti-government protestors and Ukrainian security forces in which up to 100 people were killed. Upon Yanukovich’s departure, ethnic Russian nationalists seized control of the Crimean parliament building and Russian military forces illegally entered the Crimea peninsula.

The crisis continues to escalate daily. Today, Crimea's parliament voted to join Russia formally under Moscow's rule, a decision that the new Ukrainian government said was in violation of the country’s constitution.

Russia’s aggressive actions against a sovereign state are completely unacceptable. The State Department has rightly condemned Vladimir Putin’s government for its actions and President Obama has signed an executive order that authorizes limited sanctions against those responsible for violating the sovereignty of Ukraine. The sanctions could also apply to some Ukrainians if they are found to have been involved in efforts to destabilize the country.

Congress is also moving forward with a swift and stern response. Today, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a bill that provides for the costs of loan guarantees for Ukraine. Here in the Senate, I joined a bipartisan group of Senators, led by Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Roger Wicker (R-MS), to introduce a resolution that condemns the Russian military siege of Crimea, calling for a withdrawal of those troops, and a negotiated settlement to any concerns regarding the Crimea. It also urges the administration and European Union to use a range of economic and diplomatic leverage against Russia should it fail to abide by these basic international norms. Senators Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Bob Corker (R-TN), Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, are crafting additional legislation that would provide assistance to Ukraine, which has yet to be introduced. 

We must provide strong leadership through this crisis. If there is no recourse for this aggression, the sovereignty of the rest of the former Soviet-bloc countries will be at risk, not to mention the precedent this sets for the world’s bad actors like Iran and Syria. The international community needs to stand together and ensure the Russians understand that this behavior will not be tolerated.  

For more on my thoughts on the Ukraine crisis, please watch this interview below. 

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) represents one of the most complex and potentially severe injuries incurred by service members deployed in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Providing the best services to our troops who sustained TBI is part of our commitment to ensure our military personnel get the care they deserve. We’ve been leading efforts in Congress to improve the care of our servicemembers and veterans impacted with these injuries. In 2012, our initiative to improve rehabilitative services for our nation’s veterans with TBI was included in a larger bill and signed into law by President Obama. There is still a lot of work to do. The Wounded Warrior Project produced Wounded: the Battle Back Home, a documentary series that brings to life the wounds of war and the difficulties our nation faces in addressing these injuries. We talked with the filmmakers about our work in Congress to make sure our veterans are getting the care they need.

We joined efforts to prevent the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) from targeting social welfare organizations by cosponsoring the Stop Targeting of Political Beliefs by the IRS Act of 2014. 

The legislation would protect free speech rights of 501(c)(4) organizations by preventing the IRS and Department of Treasury from finalizing proposed regulations that would significantly limit the advocacy and educational activities of these groups, for one year. The bill would also return to IRS standards and definitions that were in place on January 1, 2010, before the agency’s targeting. 

The IRS abused its power and we must make the agency more accountable and transparent to prevent future overreach and attacks on our First Amendment rights. It is premature to implement new proposals that challenge the Constitution and political speech before a thorough investigation into the targeting is complete.

The legislation is supported by 39 senators. Similar legislation was introduced in the House of Representatives by Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, Dave Camp (R-MI).

Background: Under proposed Department of Treasury regulations published on November 29, 2013, 501(c)(4) organizations cannot engage in voter registration, convene candidate forums, or even conduct non-partisan activities without jeopardizing their exempt status, even though those activities are expressly allowed for 501(c)(3) organizations.

You may have seen movie previews for “The Monuments Men” which opens in theaters nationwide today. I’m excited to see this movie based on the true story about those who served in the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives section of the Western Allied military effort. The movie tells the story of the men and women initially charged with protecting structures, such as churches, museums, and monuments, from destruction during World War II. Their responsibilities later shifted to recovering art and artifacts stolen by Nazis across Europe. Today we are able to enjoy numerous works of art created by the some of the world’s most renowned artists including Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, and Pablo Picasso thanks to the mission of the Monuments Men. 

I’m proud to support legislation that awards the Congressional Gold Medal to this group of approximately 350 men and women from 13 countries who worked to preserve, protect and restore millions of pieces of artwork, sculptures, and other cultural artifacts in Europe during WWII. This is a deserving honor that highlights the remarkable sacrifices they endured to protect pieces of history for future generations. Through this effort and the story being brought to life by Hollywood, we can encourage continued learning about the heroics of the Monuments Men.