Senate OKs financial sanctions package
WASHINGTON — The Senate voted decisively on Thursday to approve a new package of stiff financial sanctions against Russia, Iran and North Korea, sending the popular bill to President Donald Trump for his signature after weeks of intense negotiations.
Never in doubt, however, was a cornerstone of the legislation that bars Mr. Trump from easing or waiving the additional penalties on Russia unless Congress agrees.
The provisions were included to assuage concerns among lawmakers that the president’s push for better relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin might lead him to relax the penalties without first securing concessions from the Kremlin.
The Senate passed the bill, 98-2, two days after the House pushed the measure through by an overwhelming margin, 419-3.
Both are veto proof numbers as the White House has wavered on whether the president would sign the measure into law.
The legislation is aimed at punishing Moscow for meddling in the 2016 presidential election and its military aggression in Ukraine and Syria, where the Kremlin has backed President Bashar Assad.
Sen. John McCain, Rariz., said the bill’s passage was long overdue, a jab at Mr. Trump and the GOP-controlled Congress.
Mr. McCain, chairman of the Armed Services Committee, has called Mr. Putin a murderer and a thug.
“Over the last eight months what price has Russia paid for attacking our elections?” Mr. McCain asked. “Very little.”
Mr. Trump had privately expressed frustration over Congress’ ability to limit or override the power of the president on national security matters, according to Trump administration officials and advisers. They spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal White House deliberations.
But faced with heavy bipartisan support for the bill in the House and Senate, the president has little choice but to sign the bill into law. Mr. Trump’s communications director, Anthony Scaramucci, suggested earlier Thursday on CNN’s New Day that Mr. Trump might veto the bill and “negotiate an even tougher deal against the Russians.”
If Mr. Trump rejected the bill, said Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., Congress would over rule him.
Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rand Paul, R-Ky., voted againstthe sanctions bill.
Gains in Raqqa
U.S.-backed Syrian fighters have captured almost half of the Islamic State group’s de facto capital of Raqqa, but the push into the city in northern Syria has slowed due to stiff resistance and large amounts of explosives planted by the extremists, the Kurdish-led fighting coalition said Thursday.
‘Provocative’ launch
The State Department said Thursday that Iran’s launch of a space satellite was a “provocative action” that violates a United Nations resolution on ballistic missiles as well as the spirit of the landmark 2015 nuclear deal.