President Donald Trump is giving Vladimir Putin 50 days before he imposes tariffs on Russia, potentially halting momentum for the Senate’s bipartisan Russia sanctions bill.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told Semafor he plans to talk to Trump and that a decision on floor action before August will happen “in the coming days.”
Graham said, “The argument for the bill is that you’ll have an overwhelming bipartisan vote. You’ll have flexibility, politically. And legally, you’re stronger.”
Some Republicans want to move ASAP.
“I’d like to have it in the bank,” said Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D. Graham’s partner on the bill, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., called Trump’s praise for their work “a powerful sign of unity between the president and Congress,” even though the president stopped short of an outright endorsement.
Meanwhile, Putin is unfazed, Reuters reported.