Some in the Senate are keen to push President Trump to take an even harder line on North Korea, and have designed a new series of banking-related sanctions against anyone doing any business with North Korea.
The sanctions, pushed by Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Pat Toomey
(R-PA) are being pushed as an amendment to the annual defense spending
bill. Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen. Inhofe (R-OK) backs the
proposal, and a successful amendment would assure passage.
The banking sanctions roughly echo US banking sanctions against Iran.
Sen. Toomey argued it is necessary for “maximum economic pressure.” Yet
making them Senate-imposed sanctions also limits President Trump’s own
options for approaching North Korea.
With talks between the US and North Korea already on hold, the timing is
potentially risky. North Korea has seen every attempt at diplomacy met
with more US sanctions, and will probably view new sanctions as more of
the same, and another indicator that the US doesn’t take negotiations
seriously.
The dumbest group of American citizens is clustered in the U.S. CONgress.