A bipartisan group of US Senators introduced a bill Wednesday known as the DETER Act to prevent Russia from meddling in future US elections by threatening sanctions on their major industries.
Senators Chris Van Hollen and Marco Rubio are reintroducing a bill that they previously raised last year, but failed to reach a vote. The legislation requires the Director of National Intelligence to issue a determination of any meddling from Russia 60 days after a federal election. If there is any finding of meddling such as purchasing advertisements or blocking election infrastructure, the US will impose sanctions on Russia’s finance, energy, and defense sectors within 30 days. Russian political figures will also be prevented from entering the U.S.
The bill also identifies China, Iran and North Korea as other major threats that could tamper with US elections and asked for the Trump administration to identify a strategy to address those countries as well.