GOP-controlled Congress nears legislative triumph on Russia
The House on Tuesday is poised to pass legislation limiting the presidents ability to unilaterally lift sanctions on Russia, which the Trump administration initially opposed.
Lacking the votes to block the bill, President Trump will likely sign it in the coming weeks even though the White House is officially keeping its options open.
Republicans and Democrats in both the House and Senate are expected to come together to pass a bipartisan package imposing stiffer sanctions on Russia, Iran and North Korea that has stalled for weeks. The delays triggered Democratic accusations that the Trump administration was trying to kill the legislation to curry favor with Russia.
While prior administrations of both parties have lobbied against various sanctions bills citing the need for freedom from the legislative branch to make diplomatic decisions the ongoing Russia controversies have created a perception problem for the White House. In the end, the GOP-led House and Senate pushed hard to move this bill despite major concerns from the administration.
http://thehill.com/homenews/house/343546-gop-controlled-congress-nears-legislative-triumph-on-russia