U.S. lawmakers reach deal on Russia sanctions bill, creating limits for Trump

[Jonathan Fairfield]

U.S. lawmakers reach deal on Russia sanctions bill, creating limits for Trump

 

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Republicans and Democrats have reached agreement on legislation that allows new sanctions against Russia, Iran and North Korea, leading congressional Democrats said on Saturday, in a bill that would limit any potential effort by President Donald Trump to try to lift sanctions against Moscow.

 

The Countering Iran's Destabilizing Activities Act, which was passed by the Senate a month ago, was held up in the House of Representatives after Republicans proposed including North Korea sanctions in the bill.

 

The House is set to vote on Tuesday on a package of bills on sanctions covering Russia, Iran and North Korea, according to House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s office. The measure will "hold them accountable for their dangerous actions," McCarthy said in a statement Saturday.

 

Under the proposed bill, Trump must submit to Congress a report on proposed actions that would "significantly alter" U.S. foreign policy in connection with Russia, including easing sanctions or returning diplomatic properties in Maryland and New York that former President Barack Obama ordered vacated in December.

 

Congress would have at least 30 days to hold hearings and then vote to uphold or reject Trump’s proposed changes.

 

Many lawmakers hope the bill will send a message to Trump to keep a strong line against Russia.

 

Trump, who met Putin at the Group of 20 summit in Hamburg earlier this month and said it was an "honor" to meet him, has been criticized for seeking to reset U.S.-Russian relations. His administration has been bogged down by ongoing investigations of possible ties between his 2016 campaign and Russia.

 

With the bill, Republicans and Democrats are seeking to punish Russia for its 2014 annexation of Crimea, a peninsula belong to Ukraine, and for meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

 

Putin has denied any meddling in the U.S. democratic process last year. Trump has said that his campaign did not collude with Russia.

 

House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said Russia's "outrageous and unacceptable" behavior in the 2016 U.S. election and in Europe "demand that we have strong statutory sanctions enacted as soon as possible."

 

Even so, she expressed concerns that by including North Korea the legislation could face procedural delays in the Senate.

 

Senior Republican lawmakers did not immediately comment on the latest bill.

 

In Brussels, the European Union sounded an alarm about the U.S. moves to step up sanctions on Russia, urging Washington to coordinate with its Group of 7 partners.

 

The European Commission, the EU's executive body, warned of possibly "wide and indiscriminate" "unintended consequences," notably on the EU's efforts to diversify energy sources away from Russia.

 

McCarthy and Ed Royce, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a statement the revised bill helps "bolster the energy security of our European allies by maintaining their access to key energy resources outside of Russia."

 

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said a strong sanctions bill "is essential," and said in a statement that he expects "the House and Senate will act on this legislation promptly, on a broad bipartisan basis."

 

Senator Ben Cardin, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the agreement was reached after "intense negotiations."

 

"A nearly united Congress is poised to send President Putin a clear message on behalf of the American people and our allies, and we need President Trump to help us deliver that message," he said in a statement.

 

(Reporting by Lesley Wroughton and David Shepardson in Washington; Editing by Leslie Adler)

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-07-23

[darksidedog]

Democrats and Republicans work together to limit Trumps powers when it comes to the Russians. Bipartisan cooperation is alive and well it seems on important matters of State. They are at loggerheads on health and other matters. You have to wonder what this bill says about the level of trust lawmakers on both sides of the house have for the POTUS, when they work together without dissent like this.

[heybruce]

Unfortunately not as bipartisan as the article makes it seem:

 

" Although there is widespread support for the legislation, the bill stalled after it cleared the Senate over constitutional questions and bickering over technical details. In particular, House Democrats charged that GOP leaders had cut them out of the congressional review that would be triggered if Trump proposed to terminate or suspend the Russia sanctions. But Republicans rejected the complaint and blamed Democrats for holding the bill up. "  https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/congress/democrats-herald-agreement-on-sweeping-russia-sanctions-bill/2017/07/22/27aff15c-6f3c-11e7-abbc-a53480672286_story.html?utm_term=.eb0549c41880 

 

I understand the EU's concern about the measure, but they have to understand that Trump would be even less likely to coordinate with the EU on changes to sanctions than the Congress.  Trump needs to be restrained or he will sell out US interests through idiocy or self-interest.

[craigt3365]

Sad times when something like this is necessary.  Politics at it's worst.

[Jingthing]

Wouldn't it be great if he could be limited only to posting on twitter ... from a padded room? 

[Grubster]

The Dems need to lighten up on Trump a little or risk ending up with Pence or Ryan as POTUS.  This would be a disaster for the Dems I think. Trump is digging his own hole on most issues anyway. He will get very little done, good or bad in his term.

[dunroaming]

Trump has very few friends in the republican party and none in the Democratic party.  It is not surprising that both parties see the need to curtail his actions as he continues to go about destroying the USA.

[dunroaming]

3 hours ago, Grubster said:

The Dems need to lighten up on Trump a little or risk ending up with Pence or Ryan as POTUS.  This would be a disaster for the Dems I think. Trump is digging his own hole on most issues anyway. He will get very little done, good or bad in his term.

I think you make a good point but Trump is not fit for purpose and his position as POTUS is destructive.  I agree that Pence would be a disaster too but his lunacy is no where near to Trumps.

[Grubster]

21 minutes ago, dunroaming said:

I think you make a good point but Trump is not fit for purpose and his position as POTUS is destructive.  I agree that Pence would be a disaster too but his lunacy is no where near to Trumps.

His anti labor stance worries me as does Ryan's, and lets not forget that Pence may go down in this storm too. Trump is the dumbest of the dumb though, no doubt. I don't really think congress will let him do much. He is the commander in chief of the military though.

[boomerangutang]

4 hours ago, Grubster said:

The Dems need to lighten up on Trump a little or risk ending up with Pence or Ryan as POTUS.  This would be a disaster for the Dems I think. Trump is digging his own hole on most issues anyway. He will get very little done, good or bad in his term.

Dems need to be patient, and hope they get back their majority in the House in early 2019.  That way, when both Trump and Pence are booted down the sidewalk, it will be a Democratic Speaker of the House who will take over, and it will likely be a woman.   

 

Two years is a long time to wait, now that the US is saddled with a prez who makes grave mistakes each day.  But the alternative, with acting quickly, will most likely be a president Ryan.