The Trump Administration's plan to lift sanctions within days on three companies controlled by Oleg Deripaska hit a snag in the Senate today as enough Republicans joined Democrats in voting in favor of advancing a motion to block the president's decision.
CNN:
The Senate voted 57-42 to move ahead with a resolution from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer that would reverse the Trump administration's decision to lift sanctions on the firms, a vote Schumer forced under a provision in the 2017 Russia sanctions law.
The Senate is taking a subsequent vote to proceed to the resolution on the floor, which also needs 51 votes to pass.
The vote comes amid renewed scrutiny of the Trump administration's stance on Russia in the aftermath of a bombshell New York Times report that the FBI in 2017 decided to investigate why Trump took actions that seemed to benefit Russia.
Sixty senators will be required to pass the resolution in a vote expected to be held later this week.
The vote in favor of the disapproval resolution came despite efforts by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to convince Senate Republicans to stop it, including attending the weekly Republican policy lunch to address their questions.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer introduced a parallel resolution in the House on Tuesday, giving the Democrats -- who control that chamber -- the option to proceed ahead of Thursday's congressional review deadline.
From Hoyer's press release:
"While I understand the Treasury Department’s efforts to reduce Mr. Deripaska’s ownership stake in Rusal, thereby calming the global aluminum market, numerous serious questions remain regarding this settlement. Secretary Mnuchin’s briefing last week raised more questions than it answered, and, notwithstanding the good faith efforts of individual Treasury officials, I cannot help but view this action in the context of the Trump Administration’s repeated deference to Russia."
CNN:
Under a 2017 law, Congress has the authority to halt any decision by the Trump administration to weaken sanctions, providing lawmakers with a 30-day window to reject the plan if lawmakers believe it undermines US economic and national security interests.
Senate Republicans break with Trump on Russia sanctions (CNN)
Mnuchin meets with Senate GOP to shore up ranks on Russia sanctions vote (The Hill)