WASHINGTON – Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner co-sponsored a bill this week to escalate sanctions against North Korea for its nuclear missile development program.

The bill seeks to further isolate North Korea’s economy by cutting off more U.S. economic opportunities for nations and corporations that do business with the hardline Communist country.

The Republican Gardner is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific and international cybersecurity. He co-sponsored the bipartisan bill with Sen. Edward Markey of Massachusetts, the ranking Democrat on the subcommittee.

The proposed legislation is intended to “give nations and companies a clear choice – do business with the United States or do business with North Korea,” Gardner said. “This legislation will give the Administration the needed additional tools to peacefully denuclearize the North Korean regime.”

Other provisions of the bill seek to apply pressure on North Korea for its alleged human rights abuses, such as forced labor.

Gardner and Markey introduced the bill days before a CIA analyst predicted another show of force by North Korea next week.

October 10 is the anniversary of the founding of the political party that governs North Korea. The regime of leader Kim Jong Un has typically used state anniversaries for missile launches or nuclear tests.

He also provoked tensions with the United States in recent months with more weapons tests, including a program to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile that can carry a nuclear warhead.

“There is no military solution to the threat of a nuclear North Korea,” Markey said. “While the effort to economically and politically isolate North Korea will be essential for a diplomatic strategy to succeed, we must also recognize that pressure, without diplomatic engagement, will quickly become counterproductive.”

The Gardner and Markey bill would require the president to block all business transactions with North Korea that have a U.S. connection. It would prevent any financial dealings with foreign companies that do business with North Korea.

The bill also seeks global isolation of North Korea, which would include downgrading relations or aid for any countries that do not cooperate in severing ties to the Pyongyang government.

The proposed legislation, called the Leverage to Enhance Effective Diplomacy Act of 2017, requires the president’s administration to report to Congress regularly on diplomatic efforts with North Korea and programs to deprive it of rocket fuel.

It also reauthorizes the North Korea Human Rights Act of 2004. The Act authorizes humanitarian aid and public information campaigns to inform North Koreans of events outside their hermetic nation.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration is showing signs of internal turmoil on how to deal with North Korea.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson acknowledged on Saturday U.S. diplomats were dealing directly with North Korea.

President Donald Trump responded with a tweet that implied a threat against the country.

“I told Rex Tillerson, our wonderful Secretary of State, that he is wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man,” Trump tweeted in a reference to Kim Jong Un. “Save your energy Rex, we’ll do what has to be done!”