The House of Representatives will introduce on Wednesday its version of the Senate-passed legislation to impose new sanctions on Russia and Iran, a congressional aide with direct knowledge of the process told The Daily Beast. The text of the bill was prepared and approved by the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the aide said, adding there is hope that it will have “bipartisan cosponsorship and support.” The Senate bill was approved 98-2, but a procedural hiccup stalled the process in the lower chamber. The bill being introduced in the House is identical to the Senate-passed bill, which was flagged for a “blue-slip” issue whereby legislation dealing with revenues must originate in the House. The delay caused concern among Democrats and some Republicans, who worried that the Trump administration could be trying to water down the bill. On Monday, The Daily Beast reported that a top Treasury Department official met last week with House leadership staffers in an effort to weaken the legislation—specifically, the provision that requires a congressional review of any attempts by the president to roll back or ramp up the sanctions. “This will put an end to all the procedural back-and-forth and give the House something to vote on straightaway,” the aide said.
—Andrew Desiderio
