Sanctions bill limits Trump's power

DONALD TRUMP is expected to sign legislation that imposes sweeping sanctions on Russia, Iran and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and he will have to consult Congress if he wants to lift them. Beijing Youth Daily commented on Saturday:

The approval of the simultaneous sanctions on the three countries with an overwhelming bipartisan majority of 97 to 2 in the Senate has implications for the Trump administration, as the bill requires Trump to acquire congressional approval before he eases or lifts the sanctions.

That the move limits the president's powers to lift the sanctions points to an ever-solid bipartisan consensus that the president of the United States, who normally does not need congressional support to exercise diplomatic powers, should be subject to Congress. The pro-establishment forces in both the Republican Party and the Democratic Party may have played a role in pushing forward the bill, as Congress remains vigilant to Trump's handling of ties with Russia.