Wednesday, July 26th., 2017
US Lawmakers Overwhelmingly
Pass New Sanctions on Russia
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The
US House of Representatives has overwhelmingly passed a new round of
sanctions on Iran, Russia, and North Korea. The bill also limits the
president’s ability to unliaterally lift sanctions, forcing him to seek
Congressional approval.
The bill passed quickly, with no deliberation. The final vote was 419-3 in favor of the sanctions.
One key tenet of the sanctions bill is that it requires the president
to acquire congressional approval before easing sanctions. The purpose
of this provision is transparent: to prevent the White House
from suspending the sanctions against Moscow implemented in the last
days of the Obama administration.
The European Union has also expressed reservations about the Russian
sanctions due to another tenet which would punish non-Russian businesses
for working alongside Russian industries. This would adversely affect
European energy, especially oil and natural gas development projects
totalling trillions of gallons of oil and natural gas every year.
In May, the House passed a set of strict
sanctions against North Korea 419-1. The Senate dragged its feet
in passing a version of the bill until sanctions against Russia and Iran
were attached to the bill, at which point they quickly passed it.
The Senate passed their own version of the bill on June 15 98-2,
but now that the House has passed it the bill will bounce back to the
Senate. Assuming the modified bill passes the Senate again, the
sanctions package will then go to the desk of President Trump, who may
delay them with a veto- but the level of support that the bill has
enjoyed makes it unlikely for Trump to do so.
©
REUTERS/ Kevin Lamarque
"In regards to the sanctions bill, the
President has been very vocal about his support for continuing sanctions
on those three countries," said White House Deputy Press Secretary
Sarah Huckabee Sanders." He has no intention of getting rid of them,
but he wants to make sure we get the best deal for the American people
possible. Congress does not have the best record on that … he's very
focused on that, but at the same time wants to make sure that sanctions
on those three countries remain, and he's going to study that
legislation and see what the final product looks like."
This could put Trump in opposition to his own Republican party, which
denies any presence of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential
election but also generally take a dimmer view of Moscow and President
Putin than the White House.
©
AFP 2017/ SAUL LOEB
"We are following the draft bill on Russia
sanctions with some concern, notably because of its possible impact
on the E.U.'s energy independence," said European Commission spokesman
Margaritis Schinas on Monday.