The Chair of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), issued a statement on July 31 titled “Chair Cardin Welcomes Accountability Measures in Response to Georgia’s Democratic Backsliding”, following the announcement by Secretary of State Antony Blinken that the United States will pause the foreign assistance to the Georgian government.
The statement reads: “The Biden-Harris Administration’s decision to pause most foreign assistance to the government of Georgia marks a significant and necessary response to the ongoing erosion of democratic institutions in the country. The Georgian government’s recent action – particularly the enactment of a Russian-style foreign agent law – represents a direct assault on civil society and independent media. Such measures are fundamentally at odds with the Euro Atlantic future that the Georgian people both demand and deserve.”
The statement further notes: “Georgia’s foreign agent law and subsequent crackdown on peaceful protestors has painted a stark picture of its alarming democratic backsliding.” Senator Cardin states that suspending aid that benefits the current Georgian government “demonstrates our country’s strong commitment to standing with the Georgian people and supporting their democratic aspirations. Our shared values of democracy and freedom are non-negotiable.”
