The Daily Beast explains how Democrats are trying to keep pressure on the Trump administration to implement sanctions on Russia for ongoing aggression abroad and 2016 U.S. election interference even though the minority doesn't have much leverage without Republican support.
This week, House Democrats are filing a resolution aimed at compelling the administration to implement those sanctions under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). A copy of the resolution was obtained by The Daily Beast.
Rep. Gerald Connolly (D-VA) is introducing the resolution in the House.
The resolution names Russia’s “continued aggression in Ukraine and forcible and illegal annexation of Crimea and assault on democratic institutions around the world, including through cyber attacks.” It mirrors a Senate resolution introduced earlier this month by Sens. Ben Cardin (D-MD), Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), and Sherrod Brown (D-OH).
The House and Senate efforts are largely symbolic, lawmakers acknowledge. And they’re unlikely to force real action absent Republican support. But Democrats are hoping that the effort will keep the spotlight on the sanctions as Moscow continues to destabilize eastern Europe and the Middle East, and as Trump and his associates remain under investigation by the special counsel.
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The formal introduction of the House resolution comes as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is due to testify in front of the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday. Democrats are planning to use much of their time questioning Tillerson about the sanctions implementation and, in particular, what the federal government is doing to prevent Russian President Vladimir Putin from seeking to interfere in American elections later this year and beyond.
Read More: Democrats Try to Outflank Donald Trump After He Failed to Implement Russia Sanctions (Daily Beast)