{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=841A5444-3429-4027-A50C-0418C289A7FA", "With Heitkamp Support, Bill to Impose Sanctions on North Korea Sanctions Advances in Senate", "2017-11-07", "2017", "2017-11", "Democrat", "House", "ND", "Heidi Heitkamp", "H001069", "www.heitkamp.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp today voted in favor of the Banking Restrictions Involving North Korea (BRINK) Act, which passed the U.S. Senate Banking Committee today with an amendment written by Heitkamp.\r\nHeitkamp\u2019s amendment would require the administration to provide an assessment of North Korea\u2019s use of financial institutions to promote its acquisition of military expertise, equipment, and technology. This provision would improve understanding of North Korea\u2019s relationships with nations like Iran, which help North Korea commit financial crimes and enable its illegal pursuit of nuclear weapon and ballistic missile technology.\r\n\u201cNorth Korea\u2019s nuclear weapons and missile programs threaten the safety of American families, as well as our allies and interests in the region,\u201d Heitkamp said. \u201cCongress must take action to counter the threat, and secondary sanctions are another important way to cut off the financial support that has allowed North Korea to advance its dangerous and illegal programs. My amendment would help us better understand how North Korea benefits from bad actor nations like Iran to better inform a tough, smart national security strategy to keep our nation safe. North Korea poses the most urgent national security threat and we must hold it accountable through military, diplomatic, and economic strategies to protect our country, as I\u2019ve long called for.\u201d\r\nThe BRINK Act imposes secondary sanctions on financial entities that do business with North Korea and those who evade sanctions to assist North Korea; strengthens existing sanctions by making mandatory sanctions on entities providing North Korea with coal or iron, transferring vessels to North Korea, or purchasing seafood from North Korea; enhances oversight of administration efforts to enforce sanctions; and, requires a congressional review to lift sanctions on North Korea.\u00a0\r\nHeitkamp has long pushed for strong, smart national security policies that keep North Dakota families safe. In September, she secured passage of an amendment in the National Defense Authorization Act to reassure our allies of America\u2019s steadfast commitment to protecting against the North Korea nuclear threat.\u00a0 In July, she helped to secure passage of a bipartisan sanctions bill to hold North Korea, Russia, and Iran accountable. Those sanctions were signed in to law, but North Korea\u2019s heated rhetoric and continued missile and weapons tests highlight the need to ramp up economic pressure on Kim Jong Un\u2019s regime.\r\nHeitkamp has also pressed the administration to fill key positions that will aid in the diplomatic and military components of a comprehensive strategy to deal with North Korea. In a recent letter, she urged the president to appoint a Special Envoy to the Korean Peninsula, and to fill key positions such as Ambassador to South Korea and top Asia-related positions at the Defense and State Departments.\r\nLast year, Heitkamp joined in a congressional fact-finding trip to see missile defense capabilities in the Asia-Pacific region up close. She supports bipartisan legislation to enhance defenses against North Korean ballistic missiles.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\r\nHeitkamp focused the September episode of her podcast, \u201cThe Hotdish,\u201d on the North Korea threat. The podcast is available on iTunes and SoundCloud, as well as on Heitkamp\u2019s Senate website.\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=841A5444-3429-4027-A50C-0418C289A7FA"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.543066930025816, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}