Title 22Foreign Relations and IntercourseRelease 119-73

§6303 Prohibition on assisting nuclear proliferation through provision of financing

Title 22 › Chapter CHAPTER 72— - NUCLEAR PROLIFERATION PREVENTION › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER I— - SANCTIONS FOR NUCLEAR PROLIFERATION › § 6303

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Bans anyone from knowingly giving money or other financing that helps get unsafeguarded special nuclear material or that helps make, develop, produce, stockpile, or acquire a nuclear explosive device. If the President finds someone has done this, the President must order penalties. Penalties can include removing a person as a primary dealer in U.S. government debt, stopping them from holding U.S. government funds, and blocking them from starting new lines of business or opening new business locations in the United States. For foreign people, the President should try to consult the foreign government first and may delay the penalty for up to 90 days, and then up to another 90 days, while checking that the foreign government takes specific action. The President must report to Congress within 90 days about those talks. Penalties stay in place for at least 12 months and end only if the President certifies the person stopped the activity and promises not to do it again. The President can waive penalties if they would seriously harm financial systems. The Attorney General can go to federal court for injunctions or other relief for violations. Definitions: "Prohibited activity" = financing that directly helps the two nuclear harms above. "Knowingly" = aware or firmly believes the facts or result is almost certain. Applies to activities on or after the subchapter effective date.

Full Legal Text

Title 22, §6303

Foreign Relations and Intercourse — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)For purposes of this section, the term “prohibited activity” means the act of knowingly, materially, and directly contributing or attempting to contribute, through the provision of financing, to—
(1)the acquisition of unsafeguarded special nuclear material; or
(2)the use, development, production, stockpiling, or other acquisition of any nuclear explosive device,
(b)To the extent that the United States has jurisdiction to prohibit such activity by such person, no United States person and no foreign person may engage in any prohibited activity.
(c)If the President determines,,11 So in original. that a United States person or a foreign person has engaged in a prohibited activity (without regard to whether subsection (b) applies), the President shall, by order, impose the sanctions described in subsection (d) on such person.
(d)The following sanctions shall be imposed pursuant to any order issued under subsection (c) with respect to any United States person or any foreign person:
(1)(A)Neither the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System nor the Federal Reserve Bank of New York may designate, or permit the continuation of any prior designation of, the person as a primary dealer in United States Government debt instruments.
(B)The person may not serve as a depositary for United States Government funds.
(2)The person may not, directly or indirectly—
(A)commence any line of business in the United States in which the person was not engaged as of the date of the order; or
(B)conduct business from any location in the United States at which the person did not conduct business as of the date of the order.
(e)(1)If the President makes a determination under subsection (c) with respect to a foreign person, the Congress urges the President to initiate consultations immediately with any appropriate foreign government with respect to the imposition of any sanction pursuant to this section.
(2)(A)In order to pursue consultations described in paragraph (1) with any government referred to in such paragraph, the President may delay, for up to 90 days, the effective date of an order under subsection (c) imposing any sanction.
(B)Following consultations described in paragraph (1), the order issued by the President under subsection (c) imposing any sanction on a foreign person shall take effect unless the President determines, and certifies in writing to the Congress, that the government referred to in paragraph (1) has taken specific and effective actions, including the imposition of appropriate penalties, to terminate the involvement of the foreign person in any prohibited activity.
(C)After the end of the period described in subparagraph (A), the President may delay, for up to an additional 90 days, the effective date of an order issued under subsection (b) imposing any sanction on a foreign person if the President determines, and certifies in writing to the Congress, that the appropriate foreign government is in the process of taking actions described in subparagraph (B).
(3)Before the end of the 90-day period beginning on the date on which an order is issued under subsection (c), the President shall submit to the Congress a report on—
(A)the status of consultations under this subsection with the government referred to in paragraph (1); and
(B)the basis for any determination under paragraph (2) that such government has taken specific corrective actions.
(f)Any sanction imposed on any person pursuant to an order issued under subsection (c) shall—
(1)remain in effect for a period of not less than 12 months; and
(2)cease to apply after the end of such 12-month period only if the President determines, and certifies in writing to the Congress, that—
(A)the person has ceased to engage in any prohibited activity; and
(B)the President has received reliable assurances from such person that the person will not, in the future, engage in any prohibited activity.
(g)The President may waive the continued application of any sanction imposed on any person pursuant to an order issued under subsection (c) if the President determines, and certifies in writing to the Congress, that the continued imposition of the sanction would have a serious adverse effect on the safety and soundness of the domestic or international financial system or on domestic or international payments systems.
(h)The Attorney General may bring an action in an appropriate district court of the United States for injunctive and other appropriate relief with respect to—
(1)any violation of subsection (b); or
(2)any order issued pursuant to subsection (c).
(i)(1)For purposes of this section, the term “knowingly” means the state of mind of a person with respect to conduct, a circumstance, or a result in which—
(A)such person is aware that such person is engaging in such conduct, that such circumstance exists, or that such result is substantially certain to occur; or
(B)such person has a firm belief that such circumstance exists or that such result is substantially certain to occur.
(2)If knowledge of the existence of a particular circumstance is required for an offense, such knowledge is established if a person is aware of a high probability of the existence of such circumstance, unless the person actually believes that such circumstance does not exist.
(j)This section shall apply with respect to prohibited activities which occur on or after the date this subchapter takes effect.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

For the date this subchapter takes effect, referred to in subsec. (j), as 60 days after Apr. 30, 1994, see section 831 of Pub. L. 103–236, set out as an

Effective Date

note under section 6301 of this title.

Amendments

1996—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 104–164, § 157(b)(1), struck out “in writing after opportunity for a hearing on the record” after “If the President determines,”. Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 104–164, § 157(b)(2), (3), redesignated subsec. (f) as (e) and struck out heading and text of former subsec. (e). Text read as follows: “Any determination of the President under subsection (c) of this section shall be subject to judicial review in accordance with chapter 7 of part I of title 5.” Subsecs. (f) to (k). Pub. L. 104–164, § 157(b)(3), redesignated subsecs. (g) to (k) as (f) to (j), respectively. Former subsec. (f) redesignated (e).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Section effective 60 days after Apr. 30, 1994, see section 831 of Pub. L. 103–236, set out as a note under section 6301 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

22 U.S.C. § 6303

Title 22Foreign Relations and Intercourse

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73