The Democratic Party in the U.S. believes the bill will increase President Trump’s tariff powers under the guise of sanctions policy.
U.S. Congress / © Associated Press
Representatives of the Democratic Party in the U.S. Congress have unexpectedly opposed the “hellish sanctions” bill against Russia, which grants the U.S. President the authority to impose tariffs of up to 100% on countries purchasing Russian energy resources, without separate congressional approval.
This was announced by Democratic Congressman Don Beyer, who, along with the head of the New Democrat Coalition, Brad Schneider, released a joint statement.
According to Beyer, the proposed bill effectively expands the president’s tariff powers under the guise of sanctions policy.
“Americans do not want and cannot afford President Trump’s new unlawful tariffs that raise prices. Unfortunately, the ‘Russia Sanctions Act’ is nothing more than an attempt to give a green light through the back door to tariffs of up to 100 percent against our main trading partners,” the statement reads.
At the same time, the Democrats emphasized that they are not against increasing pressure on Russia but consider the proposed mechanism unacceptable.
“New Dem Democrats fully support the imposition of severe sanctions to punish those who fuel, wage, and profit from Russia’s aggressive war against Ukraine. There are many sensible proposals in Congress to support Ukraine’s efforts to defend its freedom and sovereignty—this bill is certainly not one of them,” Beyer noted.
The statement also asserts that the document could limit Congress’s control over trade policy and, in the opinion of its critics, undermine American support for Ukraine. In this regard, the authors urged their colleagues not to support the bill and not to expand the tariff powers of the U.S. President.
Recall that a bipartisan bill to impose new sanctions against Russia, initiated by the late Senator Lindsey Graham, already has sufficient support for passage in the U.S. Senate.
Earlier, Senators Richard Blumenthal, Lindsey Graham, Jeanne Shaheen, and Roger Wicker stated that the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump had agreed to an updated bill for so-called “hellish sanctions” against Russia.
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