US House advances bill on tough Russia sanctions

The US House of Representatives on Tuesday overcame a key procedural obstacle, unlocking consideration of a bill on so-called "hell sanctions" against Russia. The legislation would authorize President Donald Trump to impose tariffs on countries purchasing Russian energy resources.

The procedural measure passed by the narrowest of margins, 214 to 211, saved by two Democratic congressmen, Jared Golden and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, who broke with their party for the second time in two weeks to support advancing the initiative. The move opened the way for debate and a final vote on the sanctions bill, whose principal architect was the late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham.

Speaking at a House Rules Committee hearing, Republican Congressman Michael McCaul called the upcoming vote a critically important step that would send a clear signal to Russian leader Vladimir Putin about US support for Ukraine. He noted that Graham had worked on the bill for more than a year and expressed hope that, looking back, lawmakers could say they had done everything possible to end the war.

Democratic Party representatives opposed the initiative. While declaring support for Ukraine, they stressed that the bill grants Trump tariff powers the US Supreme Court had previously ruled unlawful. In a joint statement, Democratic congressmen said the proposed version would do "more harm than good," significantly expanding presidential tariff authority without mandating sanctions against Russia — flaws they said would raise prices for Americans while undermining long-term support for Ukraine.

Former US Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul warned that the bill's failure would boost Putin's confidence and damage support for Ukraine, though he acknowledged having no illusions that Trump would actually use the law's powers to impose "crushing" sanctions on Russia. Yevgenia Honcharov of the American Coalition for Ukraine called passage of the sanctions law the top priority in the advocacy campaign for Ukraine, noting the current version significantly expands personal sanctions against Russian military leadership, bans new US investment in Russia's economy, and targets Russia's oil tanker "shadow fleet."

The Senate approved the bill on August 7 by a vote of 86 in favor.