ICC Sanctions Bill Stalls in Senate
A bill to sanction International Criminal Court (ICC) officials failed to gain enough votes to limit Senate debate on the measure Jan. 28, leaving its fate in doubt.
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The Senate voted 54-45 to “invoke cloture,” short of the required 60-vote threshold.
Republican proponents of the bill, which the House passed in early January (see 2501090027), want to punish the ICC for issuing arrest warrants for Israeli officials over the war in Gaza. But Democratic opponents asserted that the legislation was written too broadly and would have many unintended effects, including curtailing the ability of the U.S. to work with the ICC on other issues, targeting U.S. allies that support the ICC, and harming U.S. firms that provide cybersecurity services to the ICC.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said he hopes the Republican majority will now agree to negotiate changes to the bill to address Democrats’ concerns. “A bipartisan agreement is still very possible,” Schumer said.