Top House Republicans pen concerns about Russia and China's nuclear cooperation

The National Security Agency should take a stronger approach to restrict Russia's supply of nuclear material to China, the chairmen of three key House committees said on Friday.

In a March 17 letter to National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and other administration officials, the three focus on the Russian nuclear energy company Rosatom in arguing for increased sanctions -- among other measures -- against Russia.

“Make no mistake, the PRC and Russia’s actions constitute an acceleration of their ongoing arms race,” House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL), House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner (R-OH) wrote in the letter.

Rosatom’s movement of uranium to China is helping fuel the latter’s “nuclear breakout,” they said.

“Every dollar and euro that Rosatom brings in directly finances the death and destruction we see in Ukraine, China’s nuclear weapon expansion, and is a direct threat to the American way of life,” the letter reads.

The chairs urge the administration to employ “the full application of sanctions, export controls, and diplomacy to stop Putin from using Rosatom to challenge U.S. interests across the globe.”

The chairs give some credit to the administration for sanctions against Rosatom last month but claim that “these actions do not begin to scratch the surface as to what needs to be done, however. Stronger action is required, and it needs a whole-of-government approach.”

The letter was also sent to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines.