>> Sreenivasan: THE WHITE HOUSE

SAID TODAY PRESIDENT TRUMP

SUPPORTS THE BILL WORKING ITS

WAY THROUGH CONGRESS TO TOUGHEN

SANCTIONS ON RUSSIA FOR

MEDDLING IN LAST YEAR'S ELECTION

AND FOR ITS MILITARY AGGRESSION

IN SYRIA AND UKRAINE.

THE BILL, WHICH ALSO CONTAINS

NEW SANCTIONS FOR IRAN AND NORTH

KOREA, WOULD LIMIT THE

PRESIDENT'S ABILITY TO END THE

SANCTIONS ON HIS OWN.

"NEW YORK TIMES" REPORTER MATT

FLEGENHEIMER JOINS ME NOW FROM

WASHINGTON TO DISCUSS THE

LEGISLATION.

NOW LET'S FIRST TALK ABOUT

WHAT'S IN THESE SANCTIONS.

>> IT'S ESSENTIALLY... I THINK

SOME SANCTIONS WE'VE SEEN

AGAINST OTHER COUNTRIES, THIS

IS A PACKAGE THAT INCLUDES

NORTH KOREA AND IRAN AS WELL,

ESSENTIALLY ON THE RUSSIA FRONT,

SINGLING OUT CORRUPT ACTORS WHO

SORT OF UNDERCUT AMERICAN

INTERESTS, THOSE WHO SUPPLIED

ARMS TO THE ASSAD REGIME IN

SYRIA, THOSE INVOLVED IN CYBER

SECURITY ISSUES, OBVIOUSLY,

INCLUDING DURING THE ELECTION

LAST YEAR.

SO IT'S CASTING A PRETTY WIDE

NET HERE.

>> Sreenivasan: THIS ALSO

INCLUDES... CONGRESS HAS KIND

OF BAKED IN IN THIS SANCTIONS

BILL, THE PRESIDENT COULDN'T

NECESSARILY UNDO THEM ON HIS

OWN.

>> RIGHT.

THAT'S THE PIECE OF THIS THE

DEMOCRATS HAVE BEEN MOST ADAMANT

ABOUT AND GOTTEN SOME BUY IN

FROM REPUBLICANS AS WELL.

IF YOU STEP BACK, IT'S REALLY

QUITE REMARKABLE TO THINK THAT

SIX MONTHS INTO A ADMINISTRATION

WITH MAJORITIES FROM REPUBLICANS

IN BOTH CHAMBERS OF CONGRESS

THAT YOU ARE SEEING ESSENTIALLY

A HANDCUFFING OF A SITTING

PRESIDENT ON AN ISSUE SO CENTRAL

TO THE SORT OF PUBLIC

UNDERSTANDING OF THIS PRESIDENT

WITH RUSSIA, AND ESSENTIALLY THE

MESSAGE IS HE CANNOT BE TRUSTED

NOT TO SORT OF UNDO THESE

SANCTIONS THAT AT THIS POINT A

PRETTY BROAD BIPARTISAN SUPPORT

AMONGST BOTH PARTIES IN

CONGRESS.

>> Sreenivasan: BY THE TIME IT

GETS THROUGH A VOTE ON TUESDAY,

THIS WILL ALSO INCLUDE

SANCTIONS AGAINST IRAN AND NORTH

KOREA, WHICH ARE ALSO THINGS

THAT HAVE A KIND OF A BIPARTISAN

CONSENSUS.

MAKES IT VERY, VERY TOUGH TO

VETO IT.

>> IT DOES AND THE WHITE HOUSE

HAS BEEN VERY SUPPORTIVE FOR

MONTHS OF TOUGHENING SANCTIONS

AGAINST THOSE TWO COUNTRIES.

SO IT DOES MAKES IT A MORE

DIFFICULT POSITION FOR HIM.

THE WHITE HOUSE HAS ACKNOWLEDGED

PRIVATELY FOR A FEW WEEKS NOW

THAT IT'S PRETTY UNTENABLE

POLITICALLY IN THIS ENVIRONMENT

FOR HIM TO VETO.

TODAY, FOR THE FIRST TIME, AS

YOU'VE SAID, WE'VE SEEN THEM

SIGNAL THAT HE WOULD ACTUALLY

SUPPORT THIS.

>> Sreenivasan: THE PRESIDENT...

ACTUALLY MANY PRESIDENTS HAVE

SAID THIS IS THE PURVIEW OF THE

PRESIDENCY, THIS SHOULD BE MY

RIGHT TO BE ABLE TO DO THIS,

THIS IS MY EXECUTIVE POWER.

IN THIS PIECE OF LEGISLATION,

IT'S KIND OF, AT LEAST IN THESE

PARTICULARLY SANCTIONS, WE'RE

SEEING THAT POWER LIMITED.

>> SURE, AND PRESIDENT TRUMP IS

CERTAINLY NOT THE FIRST

PRESIDENT TO CHAFE AT ANY KIND

OF SHACKLES PUT ON HIM IN

FOREIGN POLICY BUT ON HIM BY

CONGRESS.

AND, AGAIN, HAVING REPUBLICANS

IN CONGRESS WHOM THE

ADMINISTRATION HAS LOBBIED FOR

MONTHS NOW, AGAINST THESE

MEASURES, REALLY MAKES THIS A

PRETTY EXTRAORDINARY MOMENT OF

THE REPUBLICAN CONGRESS THIS

EARLY IN THE ADMINISTRATION,

SETTING THIS CHECK AGAINST THE

PRESIDENT WHEN THEY'VE BEEN

DISINCLINED TO CONFRONT HIM.

>> Sreenivasan: AND THERE WERE

DISAGREEMENTS, AT LEAST ON

THE HOUSE SIDE, WHEN THIS BILL

GOT THERE.

WHAT WERE THOSE COMPARED TO

WHAT HAD ALREADY PASSED THROUGH

THE SENATE?

>> IT WAS A COMBINATION OF

THINGS.

INITIALLY SPEAKER RYAN AND THE

MAJORITY LEADER KEVIN McCARTHY

RAISED TECHNICAL ISSUES, WITH

WHICH CHAMBER ORIGINATES BILLS

THAT HAVE TO DO WITH RAISING

REVENUE.

THERE IS SOME OTHER CONCERNS

CONCERNING AMERICAN BUSINESSES,

A LOT OF OIL AND GAS COMPANIES

LOBBIED AGAINST THESE MEASURES,

ARGUING THEY WOULD UNDERCUT

THEIR PROFITS.

DEFENSE CONTRACTORS AS WELL.

SO YOU SAW A LITTLE BIT OF A

TWEAK ON THAT IN THE HOUSE

VERSION OF THIS.

NOT CERTAINLY WHAT THE WHITE

HOUSE HOPED TO GET OUT OF THIS

BILL ONCE IT WENT THROUGH THE

SENATE IN THE FIRST PLACE.

>> Sreenivasan: MATT

FLEGENHEIMER OF THE "NEW YORK

TIMES" JOINING US IN WASHINGTON,

THANKS SO MUCH.

>> THANKS, HARI.