At the U.S. Capitol, it was a wild day of decision and indecision. The Senate passed the toughest sanctions bill on Russia yet and is also now on track to confirm Todd Blanche as attorney general. But a slew of other high-priority items are still tangled, largely due to a Republican divide. Congressional correspondent Lisa Desjardins reports.
Amna Nawaz:
At the U.S. Capitol, a wild day of decision and indecision. The Senate today passed the toughest sanctions bill on Russia yet and is now on track to confirm attorney general nominee Todd Blanche.
But our congressional correspondent Lisa Desjardins joins us now to report that a slew of other high-priority items are still tangled, largely due to the Republican divide.
Good to see you, Lisa.
Lisa Desjardins:
Hi.
Amna Nawaz:
Let’s start with Todd Blanche.
It does seem like his confirmation is on track?
Lisa Desjardins:
That’s correct. And it looks like it will be by the narrowest of margins. It came down to a single Senator, Republican Bill Cassidy of Louisiana. He is a Republican who just two months ago lost his primary because President Trump went after him.
This morning, Cassidy made his announcement about Todd Blanche on the Senate floor.
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA):
Mr. Blanche is not perfect, and he will tell you this. But the choice is not between perfection and Mr. Blanche. It is between Mr. Blanche and another acting attorney general who may not run the department effectively under President Trump and who indeed may not be as good as Mr. Blanche.
Lisa Desjardins:
As you heard there, his speech was stilted at times. At the end, he seemed to choke back emotion.
Now, Cassidy is a senator who voted to convict Trump in the first in the second impeachment trial over January 6. However, he was a decisive vote otherwise on some issues like the nomination of HHS Secretary RFK Jr.
Now, with Blanche, Senate Republicans really had to get the votes exactly right. So here’s where things stand. I want to show people what’s happened here. First of all, you see Cassidy a yes, but two senators there in the middle, the women Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, were no’s.
Senator Mitch McConnell is absent. He could have been a decisive vote here, but that is benefiting the president. The next question is, when is this going to happen? Possibly tonight. But we are waiting right now as other issues are snagged, and we will probably get to that in a second.
Amna Nawaz:
We mentioned that Russia sanctions bill there. They did get that done, and it is a big deal.
Lisa Desjardins:
Yes.
Amna Nawaz:
Remind us why.
Lisa Desjardins:
This is a very big deal, as a matter of fact. This bill is the most powerful statement that the U.S. Senate has made yet when it comes to Ukraine. It is a very big victory for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
It’s by far the toughest sanctions bill that we have seen being considered against Russia. Here’s what it does. It allows up to 100 percent tariffs on the five countries that buy the most energy, oil and gas from Russia, new sanctions on Putin personally and those around him, and also blocks some ways that Russia’s been able to avoid sanctions in the past.
It also would extend sanctions on Iran. Now, this bill is named for late Senator Lindsey Graham. He is the one who helped negotiate it, and there is no doubt that his death is part of the momentum actually that has gotten this through the Senate.
There is some concern because this gives a lot of power to President Trump from some. However, there’s more concern about Russia. And now it goes to the House.
Amna Nawaz:
I know, on top of everything else you are tracking, government funding will run out again soon.
Lisa Desjardins:
Yes.
Amna Nawaz:
Where do things stand on a government funding bill?
Lisa Desjardins:
I really have to remind people about this.
I will tell you where things stand. Senators are asking me where things stand.
Amna Nawaz:
Wow.
Lisa Desjardins:
So that’s never a great situation. Though I know a lot, I don’t know everything.
Let me break down the basics here of where we are. A reminder, government funding runs out September 30. The Senate, when it leaves this weekend, doesn’t come back until September 14. The extension they want until December is snagged over a ban on hemp products, Amna. I didn’t see this coming.
But there is a ban that was voted on last year. It had a one-year phase-in, supposed to go in effect in November. Now the C.R. is snagged over when that will go into effect.
Amna Nawaz:
So, tell us overall, where do things stand on the to-do list? Kind of walk us through it.
Lisa Desjardins:
OK, here we go. Our viewers are very astute about this.
Let’s look at this big to-do list that our senators and elected officials are going over. First of all, the things that we have seen getting action or about to get action right now in the U.S. Senate, those top four items,we’re going to check them off in green in just a second, including the Blanche nomination, which we do expect.
But, however, there are some you will see below that we think they’re going to leave undone as they leave the House, as they leave Congress for their August recess. That one in the middle, you see that, college athlete reform package. We are still waiting tonight to see if that gets an advancement or not.
Down to the last minute here, Senator Thune, the Republican leader was trying to do things in an orderly fashion here, get ahead. But, yet again, individual senators are taking the opportunity to try and get their issues in or block issues they don’t like.
Amna Nawaz:
They have got a lot to do. You have got a lot to cover.
Lisa Desjardins, always good to see you. Thank you.
Lisa Desjardins:
Thank you.
