Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Sunday he plans to force a vote this week to block the Treasury Department from lifting sanctions on three Russian companies.
Calling the Treasury’s plan “flawed” and “misguided,” the New York Democrat called on Congress to pass the motion by Jan. 17. Senate leaders were briefed by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin last week after Democrats demanded answers after his agency announced last month it would ease sanctions on EN+ Group Plc, JSC EuroSibEnergo, and United Co. Rusal.
The three Russian companies are connected to Oleg Deripaska, a Russian oligarch with reported ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is a possible subject of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Deripaska may have been associated with Paul Manafort, President Trump’s former campaign manager who pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy charges brought by Mueller in 2018. Although that connection could still exist, The New York Times last week corrected a report that Manafort wanted 2016 campaign polling data shared with Deripaska.
The Treasury Department’s agreement to lift the sanctions requires the companies limit Deripaska’s involvement in their affairs, but Schumer’s move to force a vote signals Democrats have no confidence such an agreement can be enforced. The Treasury recently sanctioned several individuals connected to Russian intelligence, including a former Russian spy that works for Deripaska.
In a statement Sunday, Schumer said he has the privilege to force a vote due to the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, under which Congress has 30 days to independently assess and possibly reverse sanctions or the act of lifting them.
A simple majority is needed bring the matter to vote and then 60 votes to pass cloture. The fate of such an effort is unclear as the Senate is currently in Republican control. Schumer said he decided to act after consulting with members from the Banking, Foreign Relations, Intelligence, and other committees.
“After consultation with the relevant committee ranking members and my colleagues, I have concluded that the Treasury Department’s proposal is flawed and fails to sufficiently limit Oleg Deripaska’s control and influence of these companies, and the Senate should move to block this misguided effort by the Trump Administration and keep these sanctions in place,” Schumer said in a press release. “Furthermore, given Mr. Deripaska’s potential involvement with Paul Manafort and the fact that the Special Counsel’s Russia investigation has not yet concluded its work, it’s all the more reason these sanctions must remain in place. I urge all of my Senate colleagues to vote to reverse the Administration’s wrongheaded decision to relax these much-needed sanctions.”
