Senate May Act Soon on Russia Sanctions Bill, Lawmaker Says
A bill that could impose a wide range of sanctions on Russia and its supporters if Moscow refuses to negotiate a peace agreement with Ukraine might head to the Senate floor before the August congressional recess, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said July 9.
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Senators have made “substantial progress” on the Sanctioning Russia Act, which would “enhance President [Donald] Trump’s leverage at the negotiating table and help end the bloodshed in Ukraine,” Thune said in a floor speech. “I fully expect that that could be ready for floor consideration as early as this work period. Senate Republicans are committed to working with the House and the White House to get this legislation through Congress and onto the president’s desk.”
Thune later told reporters that his office is consulting with the White House about when to move forward with the bill. "In my view, the sooner we can execute on that, the better," he said. "But I also understand that in order for this to work, it's got to be something that the White House, the House, our colleagues are all bought into, and it's got to get in a form that it's ready to move to the floor."
Whether the Senate will take up the bill before the August recess "is a bit of an open question, but I'm hopeful that it can," Thune added.
At a Cabinet meeting the previous day, Trump said he was reviewing the legislation. “I’m looking at it very strongly,” he told reporters. After the meeting, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., the bill's lead sponsor in the Senate, tweeted that the legislation "has a presidential waiver to give President Trump maximum leverage."
The bill, which Graham and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., introduced in April, has 84 Senate co-sponsors and 81 House co-sponsors (see 2507080037). The House is not in session this week.
The legislation would sanction a broad range of actors, including senior Russian officials, supporters of the Russian government, and financial institutions and other entities affiliated with that government. Those that support Russia's energy production or uranium trade also would be sanctioned.