House tees up vote on Russia sanctions bill, but prospects for passage
are uncertain
[September 12, 2026]
By KEVIN FREKING
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House is expected to take up a punishing Russian
sanctions package next week, though prospects of passage are uncertain
despite the overwhelming support the bill received in the Senate.
The House Rules Committee has scheduled a meeting on the bill Monday,
with a procedural vote likely later in the week that could determine the
bill's fate. Several top Democratic lawmakers have voiced concerns that
the measure dramatically expands President Donald Trump's tariff
authority, and he would use that new power to go after U.S. allies.
The bill is named after the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who had
worked with colleagues for more than a year to get it enacted. The
Senate passed the bill by a vote of 86-11 about a month after his death.
The bill is designed to add pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin
to negotiate an end to Russia's war with Ukraine.
Zelenskyy weighs in
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged the House to pass the bill
in a social media post on X. He said sanctions need to be imposed now
and must be strong.
“And this is a very important historical moment for the United States.
The bill must be passed, voted on, and supported,” Zelenskyy said.
“Beyond that, strong decisions from the U.S. Administration are
important. Personal decisions by President Trump. I very much hope we
will see that.”
Three lawmakers who serve as the ranking Democrats on key congressional
committees issued a joint statement that said House Democrats are rock
solid in their support of Ukraine, but the bill would do more harm than
good. They called for negotiations to craft a bill that can win strong
support in both chambers.
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“In the meantime, the President has ample authority to expand
sanctions on those fueling Russia’s war machine, including those
targeted by this bill, and we renew our call on him to do so without
further delay,” read the statement from Reps. Gregory Meeks, the
ranking member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Richard
Neal, the ranking member of the House Ways and Means Committee, and
Don Beyer, the senior House Democrat on the Joint Economic
Committee.
Window closing for congressional action
Next week's vote is likely the last chance the House will have to
take up the measure before the midterms because House lawmakers are
expected to spend the rest of September and October back in their
home districts campaigning for reelection.
The bipartisan package allows the president to impose tariffs of up
to 100% on the world’s top five purchasers of Russian oil or natural
gas, including China and India. It provides exceptions for countries
that import less than 15% of Russia’s natural gas exports and are
taking steps to reduce their dependence on Russian energy.
The legislation also includes sanctions on Putin, senior Russian
political and military leaders, Russian financial institutions and
Russian energy projects. It would expand U.S. sanctions to target
older, reflagged oil tankers that Russia uses to circumvent existing
U.S. sanctions on Russian oil and energy revenues. The bill also
allows the White House to waive sanctions or restrictions if the
president certifies to Congress that it’s in the national interest.
The bill also includes an extension of certain sanctions on Iran
after Trump asked the Senate to add Iran to the bill. The
administration has sought to combine economic pressure with the
prospect of escalating force to resolve the war with Iran.
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