The United States Congress will consider a bill to tighten sanctions against Russia. Senator Lindsey Graham's bill will be submitted to Congress for consideration.
Republican senators are confident that a Russia sanctions bill sponsored by US President Donald Trump's close ally Lindsey Graham will be passed this month.
The Hill writes about this.
“I hope we can get it on the floor before the August recess. We're working with the administration and the House to try to get it ready for consideration,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune said.
According to him, there is huge bipartisan support for this bill in the Senate. Thune added that this applies to the House of Representatives, where the initiative will also be supported.
“The White House is very interested in giving the bill a form that will allow it to pass through the Senate. Whether this will happen in the next few weeks is an open question, but there is confidence that everything planned will be done very quickly,” the publication's journalists believe.
Recall that Donald Trump has declared his readiness to sign the bill on new sanctions against Russia, which Republican senators have been insisting on for the past few months. However, he will agree to the document only on the condition that he will have the final say on lifting the restrictions.
According to sources in the administration, Trump is fundamentally open to Senator Lindsey Graham's bill, but demands that the text of the law secure the president's exclusive right to manage US foreign policy. In particular, the administration insists on the president's full right to lift sanctions without interference from Congress.
“The administration will not allow Congress to micromanage the president's foreign policy. The bill must provide for the full scope of the exemption authority,” a senior White House official said.
The current version of the bill would impose a 500 percent tariff on countries buying Russian oil and uranium, with the president able to temporarily waive the tariffs. Graham agreed to amend the bill to allow another waiver with congressional oversight. But the White House is keen to eliminate any legislative oversight of the president's foreign policy decisions.
Trump explains his position by his disappointment with the actions of Vladimir Putin, who, according to him, refuses to seriously negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine.
