Bipartisan lawmakers introduce ‘Georgian Nightmare Non-Recognition Act' in warning to Putin allied government

FIRST ON FOX - Senior Republican and Democratic representatives will introduce a bill today prohibiting recognition of a Georgian Dream government of the Black Sea nation that has been swept by massive anti-government demonstrations for more than 40 days now.

Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., chairman of the Helsinki Commission, and Democrat Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., are set to introduce the "Georgian Nightmare Non-Recognition Act" on Wednesday.

Fox News Digital has exclusively obtained the bill barring recognition or normalization of relations "with any Government of Georgia that is led by Bidzina Ivanishvili or any proxies due to the Ivanishvili regime’s ongoing crimes against the Georgian people," the bill reads.

According to the bill, "no federal official or employee may take any action, and no Federal funds may be made available, to recognize or otherwise imply, in any manner, United States recognition of Bidzina Ivanishvili or any government in Georgia."

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Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze addresses after the parliamentary election in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024. (Georgian Dream Party via AP)

Rep. Cohen, who came up with the name of the bill, told Fox News Digital the Georgian Dream has become the Georgian nightmare.

"Sanctioned oligarch Ivanishvili’s Georgian Dream party has now become a tool of Putin. They falsified the October election and illegally picked a pliable president. The United States cannot and will not recognize this illegitimate government. The Georgian Nightmare Non-Recognition Act will ensure that the United States does not. Until it agrees to free and fair elections, the Ivanishvili regime must remain fully isolated by all democratic governments."

While the Georgian Dream government did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comments, the party’s political council released a statement on Wednesday saying the recently imposed sanctions are "anti-Georgian steps" orchestrated by the "Global War Party" and "deep state" networks, calling Rep. Wilson "one of the most serious manifestations of the deep state" and "a degraded politician." 

In its nature and goals, the "Georgian Nightmare Non-Recognition Act’’ resembles Rep. Wilson-led 2023 "Assad Regime Anti-Normalization Act," which passed last February. The bill was passed in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) 2025 and was signed into law by President Biden last month. 

A young demonstrator holds a poster during an opposition protest against the results of the parliamentary election in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Monday, Oct. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)

"The Assad Regime Anti-Normalization Act" too prohibited recognition or normalization of relations with the Bashar al-Assad government. "It is the policy of the United States not to recognize or normalize relations with any government of Syria that is led by Bashar al-Assad due to the Assad regime’s ongoing crimes against the Syrian people", the NDAA passage reads.

Though it is up to the president to recognize a certain government or a leader, lawmakers refer to the existing precedents. The United States Congress has a long tradition of not recognizing illegitimate regimes. The Congress never recognized the Russian occupation of Ukrainian Crimea or Georgian South Ossetia and Abkhazia regions.

The United States also never recognized the Soviet annexation of the Baltic States in 1940 and maintained a policy of non-recognition, viewing the Baltic States as illegally occupied territories until they regained independence in 1991.

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Supporters of the ruling Georgian Dream Party attend a rally in the center of Tbilisi, Georgia, on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Shakh Aivazov)

"Similarly, my Assad Regime Anti-Normalization Act ensured the United States never recognized the murderous Assad regime. Now that regime is also gone. We will pursue the same policy with the Ivanishvili regime. Thanks to the strength of the freedom-loving Georgian people, I am positive that this regime will be gone soon too and Georgia will have free and fair elections," Rep. Wilson told Fox News Digital in a statement. 

Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute Luke Coffey, who has advocated for Georgia’s Western aspirations, including NATO membership, for over a decade, said the legislation is an indication that "U.S. lawmakers and policymakers are becoming increasingly frustrated" with the Georgian Dream and their actions in Georgia.

"It is also a reminder of how important the U.S. Congress is in American foreign policy development, and those Georgian Dream officials should pay close attention to what Congress is doing, especially those members of Congress who are close to Donald Trump. After January 20th, these members of Congress will have even more influence on U.S. foreign policymaking," Coffey said.

According to the bill, the United States shall recognize Salome Zourabichvili as "the incumbent President of Georgia prior to the fraudulent elections on October 26, 2024" and as the only legitimate leader in Georgia.

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This policy may be declared void "in the case of the restoration of the Georgian constitution as demonstrated by the holding of free and fair elections," the bill reads.  

Despite the current low point in the U.S.- Georgian relationships, Coffey believes that with the best policies pursued, relationships can get back on track. "In the meantime, the United States needs to pursue policies that support the legitimate political opposition against an increasingly authoritarian, Belarusian-like government in Tbilisi," Coffey said.