Senate GOP split on adding Iran sanctions to Ukraine bill
Other Republicans support moving the Ukraine bill as quickly as possible without Iran sanctions.
Senate Republicans are divided over whether to push Iran sanctions as part of a pending financial aid package for Ukraine.
A number of hawkish members argue that Republicans should latch on to every legislative vehicle that hits the floor to force Democrats to publicly debate and vote on the sanctions measure. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., is preventing a vote on the stand-alone bill, infuriating Republicans.
Others, however, are urging a quick vote on a $1 billion line of credit to Ukraine to help the fledgling interim government stave off fiscal calamity. They say helping Ukraine stand up to Russia should be the top priority.
“I would do anything we can do to get Iran sanctions, so I would say almost every vehicle that’s out there should include that,” Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services panel, told Al-Monitor. “I think it’s a good idea. The discussion [among Republicans] is going on right now.”
