Russia sanctions bill ‘dead again’ as it hits House roadblocks

The Senate-passed Russia sanctions bill honoring the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) has quickly run into roadblocks in the House, facing opposition from Democrats and little urgency from GOP leaders.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) hasn’t signaled any intention to bring the bill to the floor in the lower chamber’s first few days back from recess, while senior House Democrats have raised concern over the bill granting President Trump tariff authorities that have been curtailed by the Supreme Court. Other aspects of the bill, such as codifying existing Russia sanctions and expanding the blacklists, have drawn opposition from libertarian members like Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.).

Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) told The Hill he was briefed on a plan to bring the bill to the floor the week of Sept. 14, when Congress returns from a weeklong break following Labor Day. He said that break allows time to convince hesitant members to support the bill.

“The Senate passed this 86-11, so it’s hard to believe there’s pushback. This is Congress’s opportunity to take a stand, and it would be wrong to make perfection the enemy of good,” he said. Bacon added that while some of his GOP colleagues are “weak on Russia,” he largely blamed Democratic opposition for stalling the bill.

Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.), chair of the House Democratic Caucus, acknowledged Democratic concerns but noted that Republicans have their own reservations.

“We don’t control the floor, and this isn’t on the floor because Republicans are fighting amongst themselves. So I think that’s the most important point here. We do have concerns, but it doesn’t appear that this is ready to go because Republicans have concerns among their conference,” he said.

One congressional aide called the bill “dead again” amid uncertainty in the House.

Ukraine is tracking the bill’s progress closely. Vladyslav Vlasiuk, presidential commissioner for sanctions policy of Ukraine, is meeting with House lawmakers this week to push for the bill’s passage.

“Things are moving in the right direction. I am holding meetings, hearing strong support, and working to address the questions and concerns that lawmakers may have about the bill,” Vlasiuk said in a statement to The Hill.

He underscored the urgency of the U.S. and partner countries taking action against Moscow as Russia escalates its attack against Ukraine. His meetings come the same day Ukrainian children return to school across the country, many in underground classrooms under relentless bombardment of Russian missiles.

The Graham Russia Sanctions bill was originally conceived by the late senator in April 2025 as a way to overcome the president’s hostility toward supporting Ukraine by appealing to his love of tariffs. The bill allows the president to impose duties up to 100 percent on the top five countries purchasing Russian oil and natural gas, or those that help Moscow evade international sanctions.

The bill stalled for a year and a half in the Senate as Trump tried to negotiate with Russian President Vladimir Putin. But following Putin’s repeated rejections of Trump’s calls for a ceasefire and Ukraine seizing momentum on the battlefield, Graham announced a breakthrough with the White House in July. His sudden death that month galvanized his colleagues to vote on the bill in his honor.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who hosted Graham in Kyiv days before his death, met with lawmakers in Washington to advocate for the bill’s passage in July.

“It’s not only about money, how to stop Russia financing this war, but it’s also a big signal to Europe, big signal to Ukraine, big support of our people,” Zelensky told reporters at the time.

While European officials are publicly supporting the bill’s passage, there’s concern behind the scenes among some European Union members that the bill text does not sufficiently protect the bloc from Trump’s enthusiasm for wielding tariffs. The bill text provides exemptions from tariffs for countries that are taking steps to wean off of Russian energy or only purchase a small amount of Russian energy exports.

Some Democrats have bristled at giving Trump tariff authorities even if they want to find a way to provide additional U.S. support to Ukraine. They argue that the president already has ample authority to impose sanctions on companies, individuals and oil tankers financing Russia’s war machine.

Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told The Hill that Trump’s recent actions — refusing to condemn Russian attacks against Ukraine, inviting Russia’s foreign minister to the Group of 20 summit this week and dispatching the CIA director to Moscow — show he’s not serious about supporting Ukraine.

“So for me, I’m not going to just give the president authority that he doesn’t have. Because at every opportunity, he’s trying to circumvent tariffs [on Russia],” he said. Meeks earlier released a statement with four other senior House and Senate Democratic colleagues opposing giving Trump new tariff authority .

Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.), another senior member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, said he’s still on the fence about the Senate bill, but voiced strong reservations with the authority it grants Trump.

“You wage foreign policy with the president you have, not the president you wish you had. And if we had anything close to a sane president, I’d be for the bill. But I can’t close my eyes to who’s in the White House.”