Pretty nifty. I like how you did that. You have managed to set the stage so that if, at any time in the future, Trump lashes out at any targer for any reason, you can claim he is doing so because of his internal rage at being hamstrung by Congress in his foreign policy dealings with these particular Russian sanctions. Bravo and brava.
The White House has already said that Trump intends to sign the bill. Trump agrees with these particular sanctions, and is fine with how the restrictions on his ability to remove or modify the sancations is handled in the bill. The White House iinitially objected to the restrictions on the president, as presidents are wont to do, but worked with the Senate and the House to make the changes that were acceptable both to Congress and the White House. The changes were such that even the Dems didn't balk at them.
The same kinds of restrictions were placed on Obama's ability to lift or modify sanctions against Iran a couple of years ago. Congress has placed similar restrictions on certain sanctions on other presidents. Sanctions can be imposed either by executive order or by congressional legislation. Congress tends to be a little more protective of the sanctions which originate with Congress. One thing that congressional restictions on the president regardling sanctions does is, it actually frees up the president a great deal. If the target of the sanctions complains, the president can just shrug his shoulders and go, "Hey, it's out of my hands. Talk to Congress about it."
I think Trump will sign the bill with the appropriate accompanying statements, not consider it a rebuke at all, and move on. If, for some reason, he wants to make a symbolic statement that he doesn't agree with the sanctions or the restrictions, he could simply not sign the bill at all. Ten days later it becomes law, anyway, with or without his signature. Wouldn't be the first time that's happened.
