House GOP stalls Iran, Russia sanctions, blames procedure
WASHINGTON — House Republicans are stalling a hugely popular bill to slap Iran and Russia with economic sanctions over a procedural issue that they’re blaming the Senate for creating.
“The problem is the Senate screwed up,” Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy told reporters Wednesday.
At issue is a constitutional requirement that legislative measures involving revenue originate in the House. The sanctions bill was crafted by the Senate, which passed the measure overwhelmingly last week 98-2 and then sent it to the House for action.
McCarthy said the Senate can repair the bill or the House can write its own sanctions legislation. But he didn’t provide a timetable for either pathway or specify the provisions in the Senate bill that caused the breach.