A bipartisan group of U.S. House members is warning that Congress could pass sanctions on Georgia if Tbilisi moves forward with its "foreign agents" bill.
The bill, pushed by the governing Georgian Dream party, would require NGOs and media outlets that derive more than 20% of their funding from international sources register as "agents of foreign influence."
"This bill is fundamentally at odds with your government's professed desire to further integrate into the transatlantic community," the lawmakers said.
In the letter, the lawmakers took aim at anti-U.S. statements by former Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, the honorary chairman of Georgian Dream and a major power broker in the country.
The lawmakers warned that, if the bill is not withdrawn, they "would join our colleagues in the Senate in encouraging fundamental changes in U.S. policy toward Georgia."
That could include "reconsideration" of U.S. financial aid to Georgia, visa bans, and financial sanctions against Georgian officials, they said.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Michael McCaul and Ranking Member Greg Meeks led a letter to Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze voicing "grave concern" about the bill. The letter was signed by 13 Democrats and 16 Republicans.
