You're reading: Washington Post: Russia sanctions carve out will help energy companies

While President Trump criticized over the weekend the “phony” investigation into his campaign’s contacts with Russian officials while running for office, Congress struck a deal to finally punish Russia for the alleged meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

But it was a bit of a rough road to reach that compromise. The main speed bump: U.S. oil and gas firms’ objections to the codification of sanctions issued by President Obama in 2014. By turning what were executive orders into law, Trump would not be able to undo sanctions against Russia without congressional approval.

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