Congressional Republicans and Democrats on Saturday announced they had reached an agreement on a sweeping Russia sanctions package to punish Moscow for meddling in the presidential election and its military aggression in Ukraine and Syria.
Steny Hoyer, the No. 2 Democrat in the House of Representatives, said lawmakers had settled lingering issues with the bill, which also includes stiff economic penalties against Iran and North Korea.
However, the sanctions targeting Russia have drawn the most attention due to US President Donald Trump’s persistent push for warmer relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin and ongoing investigations into Russia’s interference in last year’s US presidential campaign.
Passage of the bill, which could occur before US Congress breaks for next month’s recess, puts Capitol Hill on possible collision course with Trump.
The White House had objected to a key section of the bill that would mandate a congressional review if Trump attempted to ease or end the sanctions against Moscow.
However, if Trump were to veto the bill, he risks sparking an outcry from Republicans and Democrats and having his decision overturned. The sanctions review was included in the bill because of wariness among lawmakers from both parties over Trump’s affinity for Putin.
The precise mechanics of how involved House Democrats would be in the review process had been a key sticking point, but Hoyer said he is satisfied with the outcome.
“The legislation ensures that both the majority and minority are able to exercise our oversight role over the administration’s implementation of sanctions,” Hoyer said.
US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called the sanctions legislation “strong” and said he expected the legislation to be passed promptly.
“Given the many transgressions of Russia, and President Trump’s seeming inability to deal with them, a strong sanctions bill such as the one Democrats and Republicans have just agreed to is essential,” Schumer said.
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy posted a legislative business schedule that shows the sanctions bill would be voted tomorrow.
McCarthy had pushed to add the North Korea sanctions to the package. The House had overwhelmingly passed legislation in May to hit Pyongyang with additional economic sanctions, but the Senate had yet to take up the bill.
“North Korea, Iran and Russia have in different ways all threatened their neighbors and actively sought to undermine American interests,” McCarthy and Representative Ed Royce, the Republican chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a joint statement.
“The bill the House will vote on next week will now exclusively focus on these nations and hold them accountable for their dangerous actions,” they said.
The North Korea sanctions bill included in the package bill cleared the House by a 419-1 vote and House Republicans became frustrated the Senate did not move quickly on the measure given the vast bipartisan support it received.
The measure bars ships owned by North Korea or by countries that refuse to comply with UN resolutions against it from operating in US waters or docking at US ports. Goods produced by North Korea’s forced labor would be prohibited from entering the US.
The sanctions package imposes mandatory penalties on people involved in Iran’s ballistic missile program and anyone who does business with them. The measure would apply terrorism sanctions to the country’s Revolutionary Guards and enforce an arms embargo.
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