The Senate on Wednesday batted down an attempt by Democrats to prevent the Trump administration from lifting sanctions imposed on three Russian companies.
Republicans blocked a resolution authored by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., that would have prevented Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin from delisting three companies associated with sanctioned oligarch Oleg Deripaska.
The resolution required 60 votes to advance to a final vote, and on Wednesday, it fell just short in a 57-42 vote. It had the backing of 11 Republicans, but a few more were needed to clear the hurdle.
Democrats claimed a small victory Tuesday when the nearly one dozen Republicans helped the party advance the sanctions measure by a simple majority, a move that was considered a rebuke of the Trump administration that underscored the long-held belief by many Democrats that he is too cozy to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Schumer called the move to lift the sanctions “a kiss-up to Putin,” but Mnuchin, who met privately with GOP lawmakers Tuesday, said the companies are legally entitled to be relieved of sanctions because they followed the rules to have them lifted, and are no longer associated with Deripaska.
“We put together an agreement that we think meets the laws and the requirements to delist them,” Mnuchin said.
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., criticized Democrats for bringing up the measure at all, and said Treasury is following the law.
Schumer used his power as the minority leader to require a vote on the measure, even as he has been blocking the Senate from taking up their own agenda because he wants McConnell to bring up spending bills to re-open the government that do not include border wall funding.
Democrats, McConnell said, “are happy to spend floor time trying to blow up a highly technical Treasury Department decision, which current law actually requires. Political obstruction is their top priority.”
The battle over Russian sanctions is not over. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., told reporters he plans to introduce legislation similar to Schumer’s that would block Mnuchin from lifting sanctions on the three companies.
Hoyer spoke to Mnuchin on Tuesday and requested Mnuchin delay lifting the sanctions, but Mnuchin signaled he had no plans to postpone action. Now that the Senate has blocked Schumer’s resolution, Hoyer’s measure has little chance of advancement beyond the House.
