Trump’s Russia-sanctions waiver prompts bipartisan congressional backlash

Trump signed a Russia-sanctions law passed with reported 86–11 support, then issued an order pausing or waiving nearly all measures before the deadline under a national-interest rationale the White House has not explained. Wright frames the diesel deal as an incentive for peace, while Rubio says Russia would sell the fuel anyway; an October 20 analysis questions the shipment’s market impact, but its political interpretation remains an argument. Bipartisan criticism and a request for a classified briefing leave the waiver’s scope and consequences unsettled.