Congress noncommittal on Turkey sanctions
The House and several Republican senators are ready to move on a harsh Turkey sanctions package, but Senate leadership is more cautious.
A bipartisan group of House lawmakers has deemed President Donald Trump’s sanctions on Turkey insufficient, signaling that they are ready to move ahead with their own sanctions bill to punish Turkey for its offensive against the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units.
But any move to levy additional sanctions on Turkey could run afoul of skeptical Republicans — and one key Democrat — in the Senate.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., confirmed to Al-Monitor at a press conference this week that she is coordinating on Turkey sanctions legislation with Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a Trump ally who has nonetheless feuded with the president over his decision to withdraw US troops from northern Syria.
“The president gave a greenlight to Turkey to go in and commit this humanitarian disaster for the Kurds, making us an untrustworthy ally, and then had a wet noodle for the sanctions that just were not up to the task,” Pelosi told Al-Monitor at a press conference.
