The White House will reach out to House Republicans to bring changes favored by the Trump administration to legislation approved by the Senate this week that places tougher sanctions on Russia, according to news reports Saturday.
The administration fears that the sanctions, passed on a 98-2 vote Thursday, will tie its hands in dealing with Moscow, Politico reports, citing a senior White House official.
But Democrats fear that the White House would be very demanding in its efforts to dilute the legislation.
"I'm concerned about it, but I don't really have the ability to dictate what the White House says to the House," Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, the Democratic vice presidential candidate, told Politico.
"I can’t imagine the House would want to be apologists for Russian behavior after the combined weight of the intelligence communities all weighing in saying, 'Look, they attacked the United States.'"
However, "the administration official emphasized that the White House supports sanctions on Russia and that the political ramifications of any veto have not been discussed yet," Politico reported.
Still, "the White House is confident it has allies in the House who are also concerned about the prospect of breaking with precedent and limiting the executive branch's control over sanctions."
House Republicans are expected to review the Senate-passed sanctions bill in the coming weeks, an aide told Politico.
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