Senate Foreign Relations Committee to vote on International Criminal Court sanctions
Senate Democrats and the White House have largely opposed sanctions on the court, leading to a monthslong standoff with Republicans
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WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 15: U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) questions Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner nominee Daniel Werfel during his nomination hearing on February 15, 2023 at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC. Werfel previously held the office of Acting Commissioner of Internal Revenue in the Obama administration and was later a Managing Director of Boston Consulting Group in Washington, DC.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is set to vote next week on a House-passed bill sanctioning the International Criminal Court, after a monthslong standoff between Senate Democrats and Republicans on the issue.
Republicans, demanding a vote on the legislation, had been blocking business in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for months. The White House opposes the sanctions effort, as do many Senate Democrats.
The sanctions effort comes in response to the ICC prosecutor’s decision to seek arrest warrants for Israeli officials.
Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD), the Democratic chairman of the committee, had been in talks with Republicans about a bipartisan path forward, but those talks largely fell by the wayside.
While Cardin opposes the ICC’s efforts to go after Israeli officials, he condemned House Republicans in June for advancing the sanctions bill, accusing them of having abandoned talks and bipartisanship. The sanctions bill passed the House with 42 Democrats supporting it.
The Senate committee vote is set for Sept. 25.