U.S. Congress sends Bush Syria Sanctions Bill
Last night, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 408-8 to approve the Senate version of H.R. 1828, the Syrian Accountability Act. The Senate version of the bill that passed the Senate by an 89-4 vote earlier this month gives the President authority to waive the sanctions specified in the bill if it is in the national security interest of the U.S. to do so. The bill places an immediate ban on the export to Syria of items listed on the U.S. Munitions List and items on the Commerce Control List. The measure also requires the President to imposed two of six sanctions specified in the bill, including a complete embargo on the export of U.S. products to Syria. Several members of Congress have indicated that they would take a dim view if the President used the national security waiver.
|posted by Douglas N. Jacobson| Permalink 
