Senate Votes to Boost US Sanctions Against North Korea

The Senate overwhelmingly voted to authorize new U.S. sanctions against North Korea, days after the country launched a long-range rocket.

The measure, passed 96-0, would create sanctions against individuals, companies and foreign governments that contribute to North Korea’s nuclear program and ballistic missile development. Also penalized would be those who send luxury goods or aid the regime’s censorship or human rights abuses.

The House passed an earlier version of H.R. 757 on Jan. 12, also in an overwhelming bipartisan vote. The differences must be reconciled before the bill can go to President Barack Obama.

Prior to the vote, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, and Minority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, each spoke on the Senate floor to urge their colleagues to support the bill. The leaders said Congress needs to act after the Pyongyang regime’s rocket launch on Sunday, which the U.S. says violated a United Nations ban on North Korea’s use of ballistic missile technology.

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