Article snippet: While President Donald Trump has often spoken about the sweeping powers of his office, a review of Congress’ first session of the Trump era shows that some of the most substantial bills passed actually put more checks on the president’s authority. Topping the list are the sanctions on Russia that Trump begrudgingly signed into law this week, which cannot be loosened without congressional approval. In a written statement, Trump said the bill “encroaches on the executive branch’s authority to negotiate.” “By limiting the Executive’s flexibility, this bill makes it harder for the United States to strike good deals for the American people, and will drive China, Russia and North Korea much closer together,” he added in the statement. But that’s not how many Senate Republicans see it. “I didn’t vote for a bill to try to curtail President Trump or his power. Quite the contrary. I voted for the bill because I want to back him up,” Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., not someone who publicly dissents with the president often, said. Sen. John McCain, at home in Arizona receiving cancer treatment, rebuked Trump over the internet for a tweet Thursday in which he seemed to blame worsening Russia relations on the new sanctions, and by extension, Congress. McCain mirrored Trump’s tweet but assigned the blame elsewhere. While the Russia sanctions package, which also included penalties for Iran and North Korea, was arguably the biggest piece of legislation Congress pa... Link to the full article to read more