Bill on Large-Scale Sanctions Against Russia Finally to be Voted on in U.S. House of Representatives. But Democrats Might Block It
The U.S. House of Representatives is preparing to consider a sweeping bill on sanctions against Russia, which the Senate overwhelmingly supported in August. In the lower chamber of the U.S. Congress, however, the document may face serious obstacles, Politico writes .
The main concerns of Democratic congressmen are related to the fact that this bill could grant U.S. President Donald Trump overly broad powers in the area of customs policy. House Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries spoke out against the document precisely because of these concerns.
Previously, the Republican leadership of the House of Representatives did not include the bill on the agenda after congressmen returned from their August recess. Now, however, the House Rules Committee has scheduled a meeting for Monday to discuss it.
Support for the bill among House Republicans also remained not very active. After the sudden death of one of the document's main proponents, Senator Lindsey Graham, support intensified for a period, but later this momentum weakened.
Proponents of the bill believe it will give Trump additional tools to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop the war against Ukraine.
The document provides for mandatory sanctions against the Russian leadership and energy sector, as well as against individuals and companies cooperating with the Russian defense industry and the so-called shadow fleet.
At the same time, the bill would allow Trump to impose 100% tariffs against the largest buyers of Russian oil. This is what causes the greatest concern among Democrats. They note that the Trump administration is already prepared to use tariffs against both U.S. adversaries and allies.
Democrats stated that the president, even without a new bill, has sufficient authority to impose sanctions against companies, individuals, and vessels supporting the Russian war machine. In their opinion, Congress does not need to grant the president additional powers in the area of tariffs for sanctions against Russia to be implemented immediately.
One of the Democrats, Gregory Meeks, stated on Friday that the White House is pressuring House Speaker Mike Johnson to adopt the document, as Trump is reportedly primarily interested in gaining new customs authorities, rather than additional tools against Russia.
Following the announcement of the upcoming vote, supporters of the bill called on the House of Representatives to endorse it. Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen stated that adopting the document would strike a blow at the Kremlin's revenues and increase pressure on Putin to come to the negotiating table.
In August, the U.S. Senate supported the bill with 86 votes against 11.
One European official, who spoke to Politico on condition of anonymity, stated that Russia needs to be subjected to maximum sanctions pressure. In his opinion, the bill is not ideal, but it could provide the American administration with additional leverage against Russia and would serve as an important political and symbolic signal of support for Ukraine.
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