Trump will sign Russia sanctions bill, White House says
— -- The White House has said President Trump plans to sign the legislation approved by the Senate on Thursday to impose new sanctions on Russia for its meddling in the 2016 election.
“President Donald J. Trump read early drafts of the bill and negotiated regarding critical elements of it. He has now reviewed the final version and, based on its responsiveness to his negotiations, approves the bill and intends to sign it,” read a statement from the White House released on Friday night.
The bill, cleared by the Senate in a 98-2 vote, will limit Trump's ability to lift or waive sanctions against Russia, and imposes new sanctions on Iran and North Korea. It passed the House earlier this week in a bipartisan 419-3 vote.
Republicans and Democrats had urged Trump to quickly sign the measure into law after the House and Senate cleared it with veto-proof majorities in both chambers.
"This bipartisan bill is about keeping America safe, and I urge the president to sign it into law," House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce, R-Calif., said this week in a statement.
The Trump administration is currently making efforts to improve relations with Russia amid ongoing probes into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia during the 2016 presidential election.
