Trump could seek 'tougher' Russia sanctions; president says making 'a lot of progress' on tax reform

Record ID: 904329

  • Title: Trump could seek 'tougher' Russia sanctions; president says making 'a lot of progress' on tax reform
  • Date: 27th July 2017
  • Summary: WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A. (JULY 27, 2017) (REUTERS) WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS WALKING OUT TO PODIUM MEDIA LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (English) SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY, SAYING: "The president and the administration support sanctions against Russia, Iran and North Korea. We continue to support strong sanctions against those three countries. We're going to wait and see what that final legislation looks like and make a decision at that point." HUCKABEE SANDERS ADDRESSING MEDIA MEDIA LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (English) SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY, SAYING: "We certainly support progress moving forward and that's what we're seeing taking place in the senate right now. I think that that's the place that we've been since we started this, is we're looking for moving the ball forward down the field, repealing and replacing it with a better health care system and this is one step within that process. (JOURNALIST ASKING: 'Does the White House believe that a skinny repeal, on its own, is enough to address the issues of rising premiums and things like that? Would the president sign just a skinny repeal?) Well, we have to see what they get to tonight. We haven't seen a final piece of legislation. We're continuing to work with the Senate to make sure we get the best healthcare we can." HUCKABEE SANDERS ADDRESSING MEDIA MEDIA LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (English) SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY, SAYING: "We're continuing to make announcements on the details of the tax reform plan. I'm sure you all saw there was a joint statement that came out earlier today and we're making a lot of progress on this front, as we get closer to lying out the final details, we'll certainly be putting those out before all of you. The big pieces are simplification and helping take off the relief for the middle class, those are big places where we're really focused, and we're going to continue to do that. As you saw from the statement, the border adjustment tax was taken off the table and that's another big step forward in the process." MEDIA LISTENING HUCKABEE SANDERS WALKING OUT AT END OF BRIEFING
  • Embargoed: 10th August 2017 20:44
  • Keywords: White House briefing U.S. tax reform healthcare reform Obamacare Russia sanctions Iran North Korea
  • Location: WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES
  • City: WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA0016RHVKUF
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: The White House says U.S. President Donald Trump supports sanctions against Russia, Iran and North Korea, even as Moscow warned of retaliation if Washington went ahead with the measure.
    While a White House aide said Trump could veto pending sanction legislation in order to push for a tougher deal, the idea of President Trump wanting to strengthen the sanctions drew skepticism in Congress because his administration had spent weeks lobbying for a weaker bill.
    The White House is also closely watching the U.S. Senate as it plans what promises to be a late Thursday marathon session to vote on what is being called a 'skinny' healthcare bill, the latest push to unravel Obamacare after failing to pass broader legislation and complete a seven-year campaign to gut a law that extended health coverage to millions. The skinny bill is expected to eliminate requirements under the 2010 Affordable Care Act that individuals obtain health insurance or face a fine and that businesses with more than 50 employees provide medical coverage. There was also discussion about abolishing a tax on medical device manufacturers, but it was unclear whether that provision would be included.
    White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the president would have to see the final bill, but is looking forward to being able to sign healthcare legislation.
    The Trump administration is making "a lot of progress" on tax reform Huckabee Sanders said, as she confirmed that a Republican proposal in the House of Representatives to institute a border tax on imported items has been killed as part of a tax overhaul deal struck between congressional and administration negotiators. The border adjustment tax was meant to discourage U.S. companies from manufacturing products overseas and then importing them to sell back into the United States.
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