The Senate voted Wednesday, by a 97-to-2 margin, to pass a measure that would toughen sanctions on Russia and, in Republicans' first significant blow to President Donald Trump's agenda, prevent the White House from unilaterally easing or removing the sanctions imposed by President Barack Obama in 2014 and 2016.
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Congress dealt a huge blow to Trump's Russia plans, and the White House is already 'pushing back'
The Senate voted Wednesday, by a 97-to-2 margin, to pass a measure that would toughen sanctions on Russia
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The bipartisan measure would require the president to inform Congress before taking any action that could alter US foreign policy "with regard to the Russian federation," including changes to the sanctions regime imposed by Obama in response to Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 and meddling in the 2016 presidential election.
Republican Sens. Mike Lee and Rand Paul were the only GOP members to oppose the bill, which was co-sponsored by Republicans Bob Corker, Lindsey Graham, John McCain, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Thlikely to annoy the White House, which began looking into easing or lifting sanctions on Russia just days after Trump was inaugurated.
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In addition to curbing the White House's power to act unilaterally with regard to Russia, the bill calls for imposing new sanctions on the Kremlin's military-intelligence and energy sectors and "prohibiting access to the properties of the Government of the Russian Federation" that Obama ordered vacated last December.
If passed, the measure could hamper ongoing talks between Trump administration officials and their Kremlin counterparts to remove the "irritants" in their relationship, beginning with the return of Russia's diplomatic compounds that were seized by Obama last year.
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