CAATSA (2017)
Precedent for Congressionally Mandated Secondary Sanctions
The Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) was enacted in 2017 to sanction Russia, Iran and North Korea. Its Section 231 requires the US government to impose sanctions on entities conducting "significant transactions" with Russia's defense and intelligence sectors — a rare instance of Congress itself mandating and constraining sanctions authority, rather than leaving it entirely to the President's executive discretion.
- CAATSA passed the Senate 98-2 and was signed into law on 2 August 2017.
- In April 2018, the US designated 39 Russian defense-linked entities under Section 231, including Rosoboronexport and Almaz-Antey, the supplier of the S-400 air defence system India purchased for about $5.5 billion in 2018.
- A 2018 amendment to CAATSA created a narrow, case-by-case presidential waiver authority, from which India, Indonesia and Vietnam have sought relief.
- Like CAATSA, the Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026 is Congress-driven legislation with cross-party cosponsorship, intended to be harder for the executive to waive or reverse unilaterally.
● Tracked since July 15, 2026 · last seen September 20, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
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