Senate trying to insert Russia sanctions into popular Iran bill

A bipartisan group of senators is attempting to enact more severe sanctions against Russia by inserting them into a popular sanctions bill on Iran.

Top senators like Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), the heads of the Senate Foreign Relations and the Banking committees, and other lawmakers are aiming to attach the Russia sanctions as an amendment to a bill that cracks down on Iran’s ballistic missile program. The legislation will likely be taken up by the Senate on Wednesday.

“We’ll anticipate that amendments addressing Russia sanctions are likely to be offered,” McConnell said Wednesday.

{mosads}”I’m encouraged that the chairmen of the Foreign Relations and Banking committees, Sen. [Bob] Corker [R-Tenn.] and Sen. [Mike] Crapo [R-Iadho], have already been in discussion with their respective ranking members to work toward a bipartisan agreement. I support that effort.” 

The vote on the amendment comes shortly before intelligence officials are set to testify about Russia’s alleged interference in the presidential election and a day before former FBI Director James Comey is set to testify in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee. 

It is unclear what the amendment will include, though it will likely include elements of other sanctions legislation that has been introduced in the Senate.

Crapo and Banking Committee ranking member Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) introduced one bill that aimed to codify former President Barack Obama’s sanctions that he first imposed in 2014 after escalated Russia aggression in Ukraine.

A second bill by Sens. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.), as well as and other senators from both sides of the aisle, also proposed to codify existing sanctions while adding more stringent restrictions on the Russian energy, intelligence and defense sectors. 

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Cardin and other lawmakers offered a third bill this year that would allow Congress to veto a decision by the president to roll back Russian sanctions.

All of the senators behind the proposed bills have been part of the talks to add Russia sanctions to the Iran missile bill, aides told The Washington Post.

— This story was updated at 9:51 a.m.