The upper chamber might run out of time to pass the legislation before the House recesses.
The Weekly Standard, JUL 25, 2017 – The House is expected to vote on a sanctions bill targeting Russia, Iran, and North Korea Tuesday, but the chairman of the Senate’s foreign relations panel says lawmakers need to work out a few more kinks—which might prevent the bill’s passage before August recess.
The wide-ranging legislation began months ago as a Senate bill focused on Iran sanctions. Since then, it has faced a series of amendments, technical disputes, and partisan squabbles involving both parties and chambers. Trump administration officials have simultaneously raised concerns about portions of the bill, including a section that forces the president to obtain congressional approval before modifying Russia sanctions.
Tennessee Senator Bob Corker said that he fully expected the congressional review provision to remain in place, but that lawmakers still had a couple of issues to clear up before the legislation could move to the president’s desk.
“We still have some work to do, both on the procedure but also the North Korea piece,” he said. “It’s not quite done but it feels like it’s moving to a good place.”
Corker added that he wanted the procedure to play out in a way that allows the bill to pass before the House recesses at the end of the week.
“We’re still talking through a couple of those things, but we’ve got a general agreement with some minor details that need to be worked out,” he said.
Lawmakers reached a deal on a revised bill late last week that includes a slew of sanctions on North Korea, addresses concerns raised by U.S. oil and gas companies, and answers call from Democrats to ensure that they can hold the president accountable in case he tries to ease or lift Russia sanctions.
Corker said that this weekend’s announcements of a deal “seemed somewhat premature.”
House minority leader Nancy Pelosi cautioned against including North Korea sanctions in the package because doing so could create further procedural delays. The top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Eliot Engel, expressed the same concern Monday.
“The more stuff you put in it, the more problem you potentially have with it,” Engel told reporters. “I’m keeping my fingers on North Korea because I don’t know what Corker and the Senate are going to do.”
The bill is expected to be approved by a wide margin Tuesday in the House.
“We expect overwhelming bipartisan support,” a GOP aide told TWS.
Some Trump officials have also indicated that the administration is coming around to the legislation, but have said the president’s position on the bill remains an open question.
The White House has urged lawmakers to consider amending the legislation, in part over concerns that it would tie the president’s hands in negotiations with the Kremlin. The bill punishes Russia for a range of activities, including interference in the 2016 election, military moves in Ukraine, and support for Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad.
On Sunday, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders signaled that President Trump would sign the bill, but backed off on Monday, saying the president needed to “study” it. “He’s looking over where it stands exactly at this point and we’ll keep you posted on the decision,” she told reporters.
An National Security Council spokesperson told TWS Monday that the administration was glad to see that Congress had fixed many of its concerns.
“While the administration still has some concerns with specific language, the newest language provides for much more strategic sanctions against Russia,” the spokesperson said.
Corker said that administration officials were “developing a more full understanding” of the legislation.
“They’re understanding more fully how congressional review works, what it really means,” he said.
