The White House said it opposes a bipartisan bill imposing new sanctions against Syrian leader Bashar Assad for war crimes against civilians because the Obama administration already has the power to impose these penalties, and should do so in coordination with other world powers.
“To put it bluntly, we’ve already got the authority we need to impose sanctions against the Assad regime if we believe that will advance our interests in that part of the world,” White House press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters Friday afternoon.
Earnest said sanctions against countries in violation of international law are “most effective when it is applied with international cooperation around the world because the U.S. is working in concert with other countries around the world to impose tough sanctions against them.”
He used the sanctions Congress imposed on Iran that other major world powers followed with their own sanctions as an example. He also mentioned U.S. sanctions against Russia and North Korea.
“The force of those sanctions are multiplied when they are implemented in coordination with other countries around the world,” he said.
Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and other GOP lawmakers have accused the Obama administration of failing to take any tougher steps against the Assad regime, and for reportedly working with House Democrats to delay a vote on legislation imposing new sanctions against Assad for targeting civilians.
The White House reportedly took issue with the timing of the House vote on the bill, which was planned for earlier this week, because it was still hopeful that a cease-fire with Syria, involving commitments from both Assad and Russia, would hold.
That cease-fire has since broken down earlier this week when a humanitarian convoy providing aid to Syrian civilians was bombed, an airstrike the U.S. blames on Russia.
