Senate Passes Russia Sanctions Bill; Sen. Cassidy Backs Todd Blanche

Insight & analysis on the White House and Capitol Hill.

The Senate voted to pass a slate of sweeping new sanctions against Russia Friday afternoon and extended existing sanctions against Iran. The bill faced pushback over its use of tariffs on countries that buy Russian oil, with some Democrats and Republican Rand Paul saying that would give President Trump too much authority to place new tariffs on countries like China and India. The Senate also made moves towards confirming Trump's nominee for Attorney General, Todd Blanche. Earlier in the day Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana said that he would back Blanche, clearing the way for his confirmation to the role. Giving remarks on the Senate floor Cassidy said, '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.'

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Bloomberg Washington Correspondents Joe Mathieu and Kailey Leinz deliver insight and analysis on the latest headlines from the White House and Capitol Hill, including conversations with influential lawmakers and key figures in politics and policy. On this edition, Joe and Kailey speak with:

• Bloomberg White House Correspondent Josh Wingrove
• Former Chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers under President Joe Biden Jared Bernstein
• Harvard Kennedy School Ash Center Visiting Democracy Fellow Jeanne Sheehan Zaino and Bluestack Strategies Founder Maura Gillespie
• Bloomberg's Tyler Kendall sits down with US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll

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