The budget request delivered to Capitol Hill on Monday coincided with tough words for Pyongyang from President Donald Trump during the first stop of his lengthy Asia trip. Trump sought to ratchet up pressure on North Korea by refusing to rule out eventual military action and declaring that the United States “will not stand” for North Korea menacing America or its Asian allies. Trump denounced North Korea as “a threat to the civilized” for pursuing nuclear weapons and the development of the long-range ballistic missiles to deliver them. Van Hollen is co-sponsoring bipartisan sanctions legislation that would target Chinese banks and other financial institutions found to be assisting North Korea in evading existing financial penalties. The sanctions bill, which the Senate Banking Committee will consider on Tuesday, also would punish companies that knowingly import coal, iron, lead and seafood products from North Korea.

Source: National Post November 06, 2017 20:26 UTC