Senate sends Obama bill to sanction Russian officials

The Senate passed a bill to impose sanctions on Russian officials involved in the invasion of Ukraine.

H.R. 5859 authorizes the president to impose sanctions against Russians in an effort to help Ukraine keep its borders. The Senate passed it by voice-vote Saturday night.

{mosads}Russia has already annexed Crimea and is attempting to infiltrate eastern Ukraine.

The House passed the bill earlier this week, meaning it now heads to President Obama’s signature before becoming law.

The Senate also passed H.R. 2591, which amends the FAA Modernization and Reform Act to expand the filing period for airline employees of commercial airliners that have filed bankruptcy to get their retirement benefits.

The House also passed this measure earlier in the week, so it too heads to the president’s desk.