WASHINGTON, September 17 — The Republican-led House of Representatives passed a sweeping package of new sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine, sending the most substantial US legislative effort against Moscow since President Donald Trump returned to the White House to his desk for signature. The bill cleared the chamber by a vote of 262-159, according to DW reporting by Rana Taha with AFP and Reuters. It had already passed the Senate last month by a vote of 86-11.
Trump has said he will sign it.
What the bill does
The package targets Russia’s energy and defense sectors, President Vladimir Putin and other senior officials, and Moscow’s so-called shadow fleet — the old tankers Russia uses to circumvent sanctions. It would also extend sanctions on Iran. More controversially, the legislation allows Trump to impose secondary sanctions, in the form of tariffs, on countries that rely on Russian oil and gas.
China and India are expected to be the main targets of such measures. That provision is where the political fight has concentrated.
The bill was drafted in April 2025 by late Republican senator Lindsey Graham, who died suddenly in July. Trump had delayed its passage, as his foreign policy favors retaining control over tariffs and sanctions rather than leaving such decisions to Congress.
The Democratic split
Democrats who voted for the bill broke ranks with party leadership, which argues the legislation expands Trump’s tariff powers and that the president already has the power to sanction Russia should he choose to. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a speech on Wednesday: “What this legislation will do is give Donald Trump, perhaps, unfettered authority to unleash tariffs on the American people.” Some Republicans opposed to the bill were wary of compounded tariffs further increasing consumer prices ahead of the midterm elections in November.
The bill’s supporters say it is integral to keeping up the pressure on Russia, and it has been celebrated by Ukrainian activists. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with lawmakers to urge its passage and watched an early procedural vote from the chamber.
What to watch
Trump’s signature is the next step, and he has signaled he will provide it. The broader stakes lie in the secondary-sanctions authority: once signed, the decision to impose tariffs on countries buying Russian oil and gas would rest with the president, not Congress — a concentration of leverage that both parties will be watching closely as the midterms approach.
