US lawmakers spar over bill giving Trump more power to sanction Russia
by Andrew Roth and Chris Stein in Washington from US news | The Guardian on (#78DFJ)
Proponents say sanctions would help Ukraine, but some Democrats say Trump shouldn't have more tariff authority
A bill co-authored by Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina senator who died earlier this year, that would give Donald Trump broad authority to tariff Russia and its trading partners will be put forward for a vote this week in a high-stakes legislative battle that could provide new sanctioning authority to the US president at a crucial moment in Russia's war against Ukraine.
The bill is facing considerable pushback not only from Ukraine-sceptic Republicans, however, but also from prominent Democrats who say that the bill will give undue tariff power to the US president that could then be abused and turned against US allies.
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