A bill that many lawmakers hoped would send a message to President Donald Trump to keep a strong line against Russia hit a new snag in the U. S. House of Representatives on Friday, as Republicans proposed combining it with sanctions on North Korea.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A bill that many lawmakers hoped would send a message to President Donald Trump to keep a strong line against Russia hit a new snag in the U. S. House of Representatives on Friday, as Republicans proposed combining it with sanctions on North Korea.
The Russia sanctions bill passed the Senate on June 15 by 98-2, but it has not come up for a vote in the House.
The chamber’s Republican leaders initially said there was a technical problem with how the bill was written, but after the Senate altered the bill to fix it, the measure still did not move.
On Friday, Republicans suggested reworking the legislation to add new sanctions on North Korea. The Russia sanctions measure passed by the Senate is part of a broader bill that also includes new sanctions on Iran.
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said he wanted the North Korea sanctions added to the bill.
“It would be a very strong statement for all of America to get that sanction bill completed and done, and to the president’s desk, ” the Republican lawmaker said in the House as it wrapped up its activity for the week.
