Russia sanctions bill exposes Trump's legislative tug of war

WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump is likely to sign a tough new sanctions bill that includes proposed measures targeting Russia -- a concession the president has yet to sell his party on his hopes for forging a warmer relationship with Moscow.

Trump's vow to extend a hand of cooperation to Russian President Vladimir Putin has been met with resistance as skeptical lawmakers look to limit the executive power's leeway to go easy on Moscow over its meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

The Senate voted decisively Thursday to approve the new package of financial sanctions against Russia, Iran and North Korea two days after the House pushed the measure through by an overwhelming margin.

Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., had said he wanted to re-examine the bill's North Korea portion, potentially delaying it before legislators take their August recess. But late Wednesday, he announced he sees "a path forward on legislation to sanction Iran, Russia and North Korea" following "very productive discussions."

The proposed measures target Russia's energy sector as part of legislation that prevents Trump from easing sanctions on Moscow without congressional approval.

Two administration officials said Trump is likely to sign the bill, despite last-minute wrangling over language and bureaucracy.

Faced with near-unanimous bipartisan support for the bill in the House and Senate, the president finds his hands are tied, according to two administration officials and two advisers with knowledge of the discussions.

The officials added the president has been reluctant to proceed with the bill, even after it was revised last week to include some changes American and European companies sought to ensure business deals were not stifled by new sanctions.

Trump privately has expressed frustration over Congress' ability to limit or override the power of the White House on national-security matters, saying it is complicating efforts to coordinate with allies -- particularly those in Europe that have taken a different approach to sanctions.

The administration officials and advisers demanded anonymity to discuss the private sanctions deliberations. Trump's new communications director, Anthony Scaramucci, hedged the inevitability Trump will sign, telling CNN's New Day on Thursday the president "may sign the sanctions exactly the way they are, or he may veto the sanctions and negotiate an even tougher deal against the Russians."

"There is a tremendous and unprecedented effort by Congress to assert its influence on Russia and foreign policy because it does not trust the president," said Elizabeth Rosenberg, senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security and a former senior adviser at the Treasury Department.

"Lawmakers are so distrustful of the administration that they are imposing requirements to conduct congressional review of attempts by the president to roll back sanctions, and in some instances prevent him from doing so," Rosenberg said.

Lawmakers have been keen to implement a sturdy clampdown on North Korea's confrontational actions -- most recently after its first test of an intercontinental ballistic missile.