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WASHINGTON: The House on Wednesday passed a broad package of sanctions targeting Russian officials and key pillars of its economy as lawmakers look to deprive President Vladimir Putin of the financial resources needed to wage the war against Ukraine.<\/p>\n
The bill is named after the late Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who spent more than a year negotiating it. The measure was approved in a 262-159 vote and now heads to President Donald Trump to be signed into law.<\/p>\n
The legislation represents the most ambitious effort to support Ukraine since Trump\u2019s return to the White House and would break nearly two years of relative gridlock on the issue following a 2024 emergency aid package. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been pushing for the bill\u2019s passage and made a direct appeal to senators shortly before they passed it last month.<\/p>\n
The measure sanctions Russian officials, banks and a shadow fleet of tankers that keeps Russian energy moving. It also directs Trump to impose up to 100 percent tariffs on the top five importers of Russian oil or natural gas, with an exception for countries that import less than 15 percent of Russia\u2019s natural gas exports and have taken significant steps to reduce those imports.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese countries have a choice to make about whether they will continue to sustain Putin\u2019s aggression,\u201d said Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas.<\/p>\n
Democrats are divided on the legislation<\/strong><\/p>\n Supporters said the tariff provisions are aimed at deterring China and India from purchasing Russian energy, but critics of the bill said they fear Trump will use the legislation to target allies in the European Union and elsewhere. Americans, they warned, would pay the price for such tariffs through higher prices at the cash register.<\/p>\n \u201cThis president has always said he loves tariffs,\u201d said Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y. \u201cAnd we know the history of what he\u2019s done with reference to tariffs to our European allies, and our allies everywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n Democrats were divided on the bill, despite overwhelming support in the caucus for aiding Ukraine. Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., told colleagues they can\u2019t control what the president does, but they can stand up and declare where they are on the war.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we fail to pass this bill, there will be cheers in the Kremlin and tears in Kyiv,\u201d Hoyer said.<\/p>\n But Rep. Don Beyer, D-Virginia, predicted Ukraine supporters would come to regret voting for the bill.<\/p>\n \u201cYes they will be able to say \u2018we stood with Ukraine\u2019 in the immediate aftermath,\u201d Beyer said. \u201cBut when Donald Trump hits our allies with new tariffs and waives sanctions on Russia, the propaganda victory for Putin will be lasting, and the damage will be embedded in US law.\u201d<\/p>\n Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, speaking in opposition to the bill, said Democrats would continue to support the Ukrainian people until victory is won, \u201cbut this bill does not provide a path to secure that.\u201d<\/p>\n In all, 58 Democrats broke with Jeffries and voted for the bill, while 152 voted against it. Among Republicans, 203 voted yes while seven voted against it.<\/p>\n Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, celebrated the vote and highlighted the additional tariff power it provides the president.<\/p>\n \u201cFor too long, Putin has bankrolled this devastating war with money and resources from countries willing to look the other way, and today, that ends,\u201d Johnson said.<\/p>\n Getting Trump onboard has been a long process<\/strong><\/p>\n Congress has struggled to ensure the flow of US funding and munitions to Ukraine as Republican support for spending billions of dollars more on the effort has waned. Trump routinely derided the Ukraine aid while campaigning for the White House and insisted that, if elected, he would quickly end the war launched by Moscow\u2019s February 2022 invasion.<\/p>\n It took Graham essentially a full year to bring Trump on board with the Russia sanctions package. Eventually, Trump gave a nod to the bill after it included his push for a five-year extension of existing sanctions on Iran. Republicans speaking on the House floor in advance of Wednesday\u2019s vote were overwhelmingly supportive of the package.<\/p>\n Rep. French Hill, R-Arkansas, acknowledged Democratic criticism that tariffs could be used aggressively on smaller US allies, but said it was time to deliver a resounding message to the Kremlin: \u201cEnd this war, get out of Ukraine, focus on rebuilding your shattered international reputation and your destroyed economy.\u201d<\/p>\n The Senate overwhelmingly passed the bill by a vote of 86-11 last month, but momentum slowed in the House. Republican leadership focused on other priorities, namely bills designed to put Democrats on defense going into the midterms. Meanwhile, a chorus of key Democratic lawmakers voiced alarm about the bill\u2019s tariff provisions.<\/p>\n Passage of the bill in the House came on the final day that the chamber is expected to be in session for votes before the Nov. 3 elections.<\/p>\n Leading up to the vote, Zelensky took to social media urging the House to pass the bill. He said during war it is sometimes better to \u201cmake a not-so-perfect decision than to do nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd this is a very important historical moment for the United States. The bill must be passed, voted on, and supported,\u201d Zelensky said on X. \u201cBeyond that, strong decisions from the US Administration are important. Personal decisions by President Trump. I very much hope we will see that.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n