Congress is furious over frozen Russia sanctions but can’t respond quickly
Photo: Congress is furious over frozen Russia sanctions but can’t respond quickly (Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump has frozen sanctions against Russia approved by Congress, angering lawmakers from both parties. However, they are unlikely to respond quickly, according to the Associated Press.
Trump signed the order late Friday night, October 16. The bulk of the law was due to take effect on Sunday, October 18. The president cited national security interests as the reason for his decision and indicated that the sanctions had been postponed indefinitely.
The law provided for steep tariffs on countries that buy large volumes of Russian oil and energy products. Washington intended to cut off the Kremlin’s funding for its war. The legislation is known as Senator Lindsey Graham’s Russia sanctions bill. The late senator spent nearly a year trying to persuade Trump to support it. The Senate passed the bill by 86 votes to 11, and Trump signed it a month ago.
Congress reacts
The decision drew criticism from both Republicans and Democrats.
"It’s unconscionable that this administration is capitulating to a Russian dictator who illegally invaded Ukraine," Republican Senator Thom Tillis said.
His fellow Republican John Cornyn stressed that Lindsey Graham would have been appalled. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer described Trump’s decision as a deal with the devil that "keeps getting dirtier."
Republican Rick Scott pointed out that Russia was the aggressor and therefore should face economic pressure.
How the White House explains the decision
On Saturday, Trump told reporters that no one yet knew his final decision on the sanctions.
“It's a very good decision, and it's going to be a decision that's good for the country, and I think good for the world,” he said.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio explained that the administration wanted 60 days to assess the impact of the sanctions on the global and US economies. He cited high energy prices and the war in Iran.
Can Congress change anything?
There will be no immediate response: both chambers of Congress are in recess until the November 3 midterm elections.
Democratic Representative Gregory Meeks, who had warned from the outset that Trump would not enforce the law, introduced a bill to block a deal involving Russian diesel fuel. He called the deal corrupt and said Congress was "not helpless."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged Ukraine's supporters to publicly speak out in defense of the sanctions and expressed hope that they would be reinstated.
The late senator's sister, Darlene Graham, who took his seat in the Senate, said she would continue to pressure Russia if she were in Trump's position.
"I don’t trust Putin, and I don't trust Russia," she explained.
Freezing the sanctions is not Trump’s first concession to Moscow in recent weeks. The US Treasury Department opened the market to Russian diesel fuel, while Ukraine called the deal unfair. Trump has blamed rising diesel prices on Ukraine’s strikes on oil refineries and has demanded that Kyiv stop them.
