Democratic senators pressure Trump on Russia sanctions
Three senior Democratic senators on Monday introduced a resolution pushing U.S. President Donald Trump to use the new authority over Russia sanctions that Congress overwhelmingly gave him last year, Politico reports.
The symbolic measure from Sens. Ben Cardin of Maryland, Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Robert Menendez of New Jersey marks the latest Democratic effort to pressure the Trump administration on its delay in implementing a bipartisan Russia sanctions bill – designed in part as a response to Moscow’s meddling in the 2016 election – that the president signed only reluctantly.
“The lack of seriousness shown by the administration in the face of a clear national security threat and even clearer congressional intent is alarming and cannot continue,” Cardin said in a statement
That legislation allowed Trump aides to hold off on new sanctions, however, and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has since said his department is working on future sanctions stemming from a list of Russian oligarchs that was also required by the bill.
To remind, President Trump signed into law new sanctions targeting Russia and Iran in August 2017.