A bipartisan Russia sanctions bill is facing headwinds in the Senate despite renewed push after Sen. Lindsey Graham’s death. The bill, which would impose mandatory sanctions on Russian leadership, including President Vladimir Putin, as well as oligarchs, state-owned enterprises, and foreign companies that support Russia’s defense industrial base, has gained fresh momentum in the days after Graham’s passing.

Concerns Over Tariff Authority

However, some Senate Democrats are raising concerns that the bill hands too much tariff authority to the administration, with Sen. Elizabeth Warren indicating she’d consider slowing down its consideration on the Senate floor. Warren expressed concerns that President Donald Trump has shown what he will do with broad tariff authority, and that the bill could open a door to let him do even more with tariffs.

Sen. Mark Warner also has concerns about the administration’s tariff authority under the updated package, saying he’s held off co-sponsoring the legislation until he gets more clarity on that. Sen. Ron Wyden, the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, echoed his colleagues’ concerns, saying it would set a very ominous precedent and that Trump wants one thing in terms of policy, and that’s tariffs.

Support for the Bill

Despite the concerns, some senators are pushing for the bill’s passage. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, the top Democratic cosponsor of the package, argued that they have taken significant steps to narrow the additional tariff authorities the bill would hand to the administration. Sen. Katie Britt, who has stepped in after Graham’s death to help shepherd the package, said the bill’s backers are working diligently to get it passed.

Original reporting: KEYT (Ventura/Santa Barbara) — read the source article.