House Votes To Strengthen Russia Sanctions And Tie Trump's Hands

WASHINGTON, DC — The House of Representatives Tuesday voted 419-3 to pass a package of sanctions targeting Iran, North Korea and Russia. The bill, which follows a similar deal passed 98-2 in the Senate, restricts President Trump's abilities to weaken the penalties.

"The multitude of threats posed to our national security by Iran, Russia, and North Korea cannot be understated," Speaker Paul Ryan said in a statement. "These bad actors have long sought to undermine the United States and disrupt global stability. Our job in Congress is to hold them accountable."

He continued: "The bill we just passed with overwhelmingly bipartisan support is one of the most expansive sanctions packages in history. It tightens the screws on our most dangerous adversaries in order to keep Americans safe." (For more information on this and other political stories, subscribe to the White House Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

The Senate will now have to vote on the House bill.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Trump's spokeswoman, said recently that the president would support the bill if it passed Congress. However, multiple reports suggest the White House tried to stymie the bill, hoping for more flexibility in negotiating with Russia.

Many Republicans and Democrats have criticized the president for speaking favorably about the Russian government and President Vladimir Putin. He has downplayed the country's human rights violations, documented by the State Department, and had doubted the intelligence community's unanimous conclusion that Russia interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. And on top of these stances, the president's campaign is currently under investigation for potentially colluding with the Russian government.

For these reasons, lawmakers sought to reduce the president's ability to weaken the sanctions package.

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