The White House announced on Monday that President Biden has transferred certain powers to the Treasury and State Department heads. This delegation of authority pertains to legislation allowing for the seizure of Russian assets that have been frozen by the US, but it could extend to other subjects of the administration’s persecution, notably folks from Judea and Samaria.
Specifically, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Secretary of State Antony Blinken have been empowered to handle matters related to the confiscation of frozen Russian assets. The statement indicates that these seized assets are intended to benefit Ukraine.
SUBJECT: Delegation of Certain Functions and Authorities Under the Rebuilding Economic Prosperity and Opportunity for Ukrainians Act
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including section 301 of title 3, United States Code, I hereby order as follows:
Section 1. (a) I hereby delegate to the Secretary of the Treasury the functions and authorities vested in the President by sections 104(a)(1) and 104(a)(2)(A) of the Rebuilding Economic Prosperity and Opportunity for Ukrainians Act (Division F of Public Law 118-50) (the “Act”).
(b) I hereby delegate to the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury, the functions and authorities vested in the President by sections 104(g), 104(i), 105(c), 105(e), and 105(g) of the Act.
Sec. 2. The delegations in this memorandum shall apply to any provisions of any future public laws that are the same or substantially the same as those provisions referenced in this memorandum.
Sec. 3. The Secretary of the Treasury is authorized and directed to publish this memorandum in the Federal Register.
JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.
Last April, President Biden approved legislation enabling the United States to confiscate frozen Russian assets and extend additional military support to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan.
In response, Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, warned that Moscow would promptly retaliate if Western nations seized Russian assets. She characterized Western plans to use proceeds from frozen Russian assets to aid Ukraine as both cynical and criminal.
Hana Levi Julian reported in The Jewish Press last Sunday that Biden Administration officials are mulling the option of imposing sanctions against two Israeli government ministers. Officials from the National Security Council met last Wednesday to discuss potential sanctions against Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir (Report: Biden Administration Mulls Sanctions Against Israeli Ministers Ben-Gvir, Smotrich).
