Republicans in Congress rendered a vote of no confidence in President Trump's Russia policy on Thursday with passage of legislation to severely limit his ability to cut deals with Vladimir Putin.
The package sanctioning Iran, North Korea and Russia includes language requiring congressional approval to waive penalties on Moscow, a loss of negotiating flexibility for the president, a self-styled deal maker, that his administration furiously tried to kill.
Trump has coddled Putin since entering the presidential race two years ago despite Russia's meddling in the 2016 elections and other actions to undermine U.S. interests, and Republicans don't trust him to crack down on Moscow's belligerence.
"We do think there was interference in the elections, we do take that seriously — we don't have much doubt about it — and probably the Russian government needs to understand, on this issue, they're dealing with Congress as much as they're dealing with the president," Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., said.
The bill cleared Congress in overwhelming bipartisan fashion, passing in the House 419-3 and in the Senate 98-2 — both veto-proof majorities. White House officials say Trump hasn't decided if he will sign the legislation or risk the indignation of seeing his veto overridden.
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05.04.2024