Senators pass Russia sanctions bill with overwhelming majority and vow to overrule Trump if he vetoes it

• The Senate voted in favor of the new sanctions bill 98-2 on Thursday 
• It will now to go the Oval Office for the president's signature after being pushed through the House two days ago 
• The president's senior staff suggested on Thursday that he may veto the bill 
• Lawmakers have already vowed to overrule him if he does not sign it into law

Democrat and Republican Senators pushed through the Russian sanctions bill with an overwhelming majority on Thursday after the president's new communications director suggested that he might not sign it into law. 

The bill  - which also applies to North Korea and Iran - targets slave labor and corruption in the three countries. 

It was passed with a vote of 98-2 and was earlier approved by the House with a vote of 419-3, two solid enough majorities for Congress to override the president should he veto it, a scenario which was suddenly tossed up by Anthony Scaramucci earlier in the day.  

The Senate passed a new Russia sanctions bill on Thursday after it was suggested by senior White House staff that the president may not sign it. Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell is seen (left) on Thursday 

'He may sign the sanctions exactly the way they are, or he may veto the sanctions and negotiate an even tougher deal against the Russians,' Scaramucci told CNN. 

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee-Sanders refused to give a firm answer when questioned. 

Anthony Scaramucci, White House Communications Director, suggested on Thursday that Trump may veto the bill 

'We’re going to wait and see what that final legislation looks like, and make a decision at that point,' she told The Washington Post. 

The vote on Thursday in favor of the sanctions bill is the first major legislative victory for both parties since Trump's inauguration.

With this in mind, senators vowed unequivocally to override the president if he does not sign it through. 

'I cannot imagine anybody is seriously thinking about vetoing this bill.  It's not good for any president - and most governors don't like to veto things that are going to be overridden. It shows a diminishment of their authority. 

'I just don't think that's a good way to start off as president,' Bob Corker, R-Tenn., said.  

Speaking after it was passed on Thursday, Rep. Sen. John McCain said: 'Over the last eight months what price has Russia paid for attacking our elections? Very little.'

Sen. John McCain said the bill was overdue punishment for the Russians. Sen. John Cornyn said it would be a 'mistake' if the president vetoed the bill  

Sen. John Cornyn said it would be a 'mistake' for the president to veto the bill which is the first major legislative development of his six-month-old presidency.   

The sanctions bill vote gave lawmakers some respite from the drawn-on dispute over Trump's healthcare bill and his plan to repeal Obamacare. 

Republicans suffered a blow earlier this month when they failed to pass a new healthcare bill which repealed and replaced the Affordable Healthcare Act. 

They are hopeful that a new 'skinny' version of the same bill, which removes some key components of Obamacare but not all, will gain enough support to be voted in. 

The president willed them to succeed on Thursday, tweeting: 'Come on Republican Senators, you can do it on Healthcare. After 7 years, this is your chance to shine! Don't let the American people down!'