The agreement, to be filed as an amendment to an Iran sanctions bill, is meant to punish Russian Federation over issues including its alleged meddling in the 2016 USA election, annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region and support for the government of Syria.
"I believe it's particularly significant that a bipartisan coalition is seeking to re-establish Congress as the final arbiter of sanctions relief - no matter what the administration does - considering that this administration has been too eager to put sanctions relief on the table", top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer said Tuesday.
The new provisions against Russian Federation are being added to a sanctions bill directed against Iran that was introduced with widespread bipartisan support and scheduled for final Senate passage today.
This underscores the real goal of the campaign waged by the Democrats and the media over alleged Russian intervention into the U.S. presidential election in support of Trump, which has been to force the Trump White House to abandon efforts to reduce the level of conflict between the USA and Russia in the Middle East and Eastern Europe.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson offered tepid support for the sanctions measure, telling the House Foreign Affairs Committee he agreed "with the sentiment" among lawmakers that Russian Federation must be held accountable for its meddling in the election.
If the Trump administration decides to oppose the new sanctions, they could be in a bind. John McCain of Arizona, the Republican chairman of the Armed Services Committee, said ahead of the vote.
ND congressional delegation comments on shooting incident
Scalise , who underwent a third surgery Thursday, is listed in critical condition after being shot through the hip. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said the officers "went out into the fire to draw the fire".
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., a member of the Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees, said the Senate has finally confronted Russian Federation. So the White House would have to reject stricter punishments against Iran, which it favors, in order to derail the parts of the legislation it objects to.
The Senate also passed two amendments before approving the bill. Individuals who carried out cyber attacks on behalf of the Russian government are also targeted. The package also would require a congressional review if a president attempts to ease or end current penalties.
These additional sanctions will also send a powerful and bipartisan statement to Russian Federation and any other country who might try to interfere in our elections that they will be punished, Schumer added. But if the president vetoes the legislation - after questioning whether Russian Federation did meddle in the election and amid the ongoing investigations - it could anger even Republicans and bring about an embarrassing override.
Support for additional economic penalties has been building after USA intelligence officials said Russia directly attempted to interfere in last year's race for the White House, saying the "influence campaign" is supported by top Russian leadership, namely, President Vladimir Putin. Special Counsel Robert Mueller is conducting a separate probe.
"This bipartisan amendment is the sanctions regime that the Kremlin deserves for its actions", Shaheen said.
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