Senate already voted 98-2 for Russia sanctions bill, what happens next in House is unclear

Even though the Senate overwhelmingly approved hitting Russia with new economic sanctions last week, the measure faces uncertain action in the House, prompting some proponents to push for a quick vote. 

Rep. Eliot Engel of New York, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said the Senate bill should go quickly to the House floor for a vote. That would avoid the time-consuming process of going through his committee, which could give the Trump administration an opportunity to weaken it and delay passage.

"Republican leadership should bring it straight to the floor without delay so the House can vote on it and send it to the president’s desk," he said. "Any other course would only delay this process and give the White House time to water down this key effort to hold the Kremlin accountable."

The Russia sanctions were added to a Senate bill, which passed 98-2, that would impose sanctions on Iran for its support of terrorism, human rights abuses and ballistic missile tests. The White House said last week it prefers existing sanctions on Russia to the proposed measure.

On Tuesday, after meeting with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, the Trump administration announced it is imposing sanctions on two Russian officials and three dozen other individuals and companies over Russian activities in Ukraine. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the new penalties are to “maintain pressure on Russia to work toward a diplomatic solution.”

David Winston, a Republican pollster and political strategist, said the Senate bill presents Republican House leaders with a quandary because of the investigation into President Trump's relationship with Russia during the 2016 campaign.

House leaders have to decide whether bringing the sanctions bill to a vote “just makes (Russia) a topic of discussion again, or does it provide closure so you can put this topic behind you,” Winston said.

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Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told the House Foreign Affairs Committee last week that Trump prefers "flexibility to adjust sanctions to ... what is always an evolving diplomatic situation." 

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Thursday said the Senate bill needs further study. 

Existing sanctions over Russia’s actions in Ukraine were imposed by former president Barack Obama and can be lifted at Trump's discretion. Sanders said the administration is committed to keeping those sanctions in place until Russia fulfills its commitments to resolve the Ukraine crisis.

“Right now we're still reviewing the new Russia sanctions amendment,” Sanders said.

Rep. Ed Royce, R-Calif., chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said in May that he is committed to working in a bipartisan way to hold Russia accountable. “We are looking at ways of sending an additional message” to Russia, Royce said.

Ashley Etienne, spokeswoman for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, said Republican leaders have to choose between pleasing the president and protecting the nation's democracy and security.

“Instead of holding Russia accountable for its brazen interference in our presidential election, House Republicans are stalling bipartisan legislation in order to give President Trump a free pass to enable Russia’s aggression,” Etienne said.

The legislation would put congressional approval and authority behind the sanctions put in place by the Obama administration for Russia's alleged meddling in the presidential election, for annexing Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula and for human rights violations. That would make it harder for Trump to lift those sanctions, as he told The Wall Street Journal in January that he might do if Russia helps the U.S. fight terrorism.

The bill also adds sanctions to limit Russia's future oil and gas development, its weapons industry and intelligence sectors.

Those new sanctions are the toughest part of the bill, said Edward Fishman, a former State Department policy planner.

The White House had sought changes to the Senate bill to give the president more flexibility in setting Russia policy, but what emerged was tougher legislation.

The measure does allow the president to waive the sanctions, but White House officials would have to testify why the waiver is needed and what is expected from Russia in return. If lawmakers vote to deny a White House request for a waiver, the president could veto their vote.

Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in a tweet that the bill "marks a significant shift of power back" to Congress.

Fishman said the legislation would assure American allies in the European Union, Japan and Canada that U.S. policy on Russia is steady, making it less likely those countries would remove their own sanctions on Russia. 

He predicts the House will pass the measure if it comes up for a vote.

“Nine-tenths of these guys know the Russians interfered in our election,” he said. “The question is will the White House pressure the House Republican leadership not to bring this bill to a vote.”