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House OKs Sweeping Russia Sanction Bill09/17 06:11
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.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- 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.
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.
The legislation represents the most ambitious effort to support Ukraine
since Trump's 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 Zelenskyy has been pushing for the bill's passage
and made a direct appeal to senators shortly before they passed it last month.
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%
tariffs on the top five importers of Russian oil or natural gas, with an
exception for countries that import less than 15% of Russia's natural gas
exports and have taken significant steps to reduce those imports.
"These countries have a choice to make about whether they will continue to
sustain Putin's aggression," said Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas.
Democrats are divided on the legislation
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.
"This president has always said he loves tariffs," said Rep. Gregory Meeks,
D-N.Y. "And we know the history of what he's done with reference to tariffs to
our European allies, and our allies everywhere."
Democrats were divided on the bill, despite overwhelming support in the
caucus for aiding Ukraine. Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., told colleagues they can't
control what the president does, but they can stand up and declare where they
are on the war.
"If we fail to pass this bill, there will be cheers in the Kremlin and tears
in Kyiv," Hoyer said.
But Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., predicted Ukraine supporters would come to regret
voting for the bill.
"Yes they will be able to say 'we stood with Ukraine' in the immediate
aftermath," Beyer said. "But 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 U.S. law."
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, "but this bill does not provide a path to secure that."
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.
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., celebrated the vote and highlighted the
additional tariff power it provides the president.
"For too long, Putin has bankrolled this devastating war with money and
resources from countries willing to look the other way, and today, that ends,"
Johnson said.
Getting Trump onboard has been a long process
Congress has struggled to ensure the flow of U.S. 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's February 2022 invasion.
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's vote were
overwhelmingly supportive of the package.
Rep. French Hill, R-Ark., acknowledged Democratic criticism that tariffs
could be used aggressively on smaller U.S. allies, but said it was time to
deliver a resounding message to the Kremlin: "End this war, get out of Ukraine,
focus on rebuilding your shattered international reputation and your destroyed
economy."
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's tariff provisions.
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.
After the vote, a group of Republicans and Democrats from the House and
Senate celebrated the vote at a rare bipartisan press conference.
Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, who wrote the bill with
Graham, said he hopes the sanctions will help force Putin to the negotiating
table and end the war.
"To Vladimir Putin -- we have your number," Blumenthal said. "And to Ukraine
-- you are not alone."
Leading up to the vote, Zelenskyy took to social media urging the House to
pass the bill. He said during war it is sometimes better to "make a
not-so-perfect decision than to do nothing."
"And this is a very important historical moment for the United States. The
bill must be passed, voted on, and supported," Zelenskyy said on X. "Beyond
that, strong decisions from the U.S. Administration are important. Personal
decisions by President Trump. I very much hope we will see that."
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