Robust House majority backs sanctions on Russia and Iran

John M. Donnelly, CQ-Roll Call on Sep 16, 2026

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WASHINGTON — The House voted Wednesday evening to pass sanctions legislation targeting Russia and Iran, sending the long-delayed package to the Oval Office.

The vote was 262-159 on the bill, which includes a childhood education measure that the Senate had used as a vehicle for the sanctions text. The Senate passed the sanctions package last month with a resounding 86-11 vote.

The GOP conference was solidly behind the bill, with only seven Republicans opposing the measure.

As for Democrats, even as senior members in their ranks — including Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York — opposed the bill over provisions to authorize new tariffs, fully 58 of them, including many defense hawks, voted “aye.”

President Donald Trump is expected to sign the bill into law. In a July statement of administration policy, the White House indicated the president’s advisers would recommend he do so.

Targeting Moscow and Tehran

The bill would impose sanctions on individuals and institutions in Russia and in other countries that support Russia’s defense programs, its energy industry or its efforts to evade sanctions.

It would also extend Iran sanctions that are set to expire this year.

More controversially, the bill would impose tariffs on the top five importers of Russian energy and the top five countries that facilitate Russia’s sanctions evasion.

The bill was stalled for months amid White House opposition, but Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., announced a deal with the administration just before his death in July.

GOP solidarity

Even with a significant isolationist faction, congressional Republicans have since 2022 mostly supported U.S. policies that help Ukraine defend itself against the invasion launched and sustained by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

That GOP consensus was reflected in Wednesday’s widespread House Republican support for the sanctions measure, as seen in both their votes and floor speeches beforehand.

“As Ukraine continues to bravely fight and Russia’s economy strains, this bill will further choke Putin’s ability to wage war,” said Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., the Appropriations Committee chairman, in the debate ahead of the vote.

“The economic lifeline that keeps Putin’s war machine moving must be restricted,” said Rep. Michael R. Turner, R-Ohio, a senior member of the Armed Services Committee.

“Let’s really stick it to the Russians,” said Rep. French Hill, R-Ark., a member of the Intelligence Committee.

Tariff worries

Democrats mostly voted against the package — largely, they said, due to fears Trump would abuse the bill’s focused tariff authorities.

Jeffries said in a floor speech that the bill has unspecified “loopholes” that he argued would enable Trump to avoid imposing sanctions on Russia if he so chose.

Moreover, Jeffries said, the bill’s tariffs would raise Americans’ living expenses.

“Why in the world would this Congress give this president that kind of authority to visit that kind of economic harm on the American people?” Jeffries asked.

Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Mass., the ranking member of the Ways and Means Committee, said: “We are for Ukraine. We are against giving this president more tariff authority.”

Hawks speak

Nonetheless, numerous Democrats on the defense authorizing and appropriating panels were in the forefront of their party’s 58 votes in support of the measure.

These “yes” votes came from members such as Reps. Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, Jared Golden of Maine, Eugene Vindman of Virginia and Jill N. Tokuda and Ed Case of Hawaii.

On Tuesday, the House had voted 214-211 to adopt a rule to bring the sanctions bill and other measures to the floor.

The rule did not permit votes on six amendments to the sanctions bill that Democrats had offered with a view to clarifying or strengthening the measure. One such amendment would authorize $15 billion for foreign military financing of direct loans to Ukraine for it to buy weapons.

Supporters of the sanctions bill, such as Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., opposed the addition of even amendments they support, such as the $15 billion proposal, out of concern that doing so would complicate and delay the bill’s route to enactment. Any amendments to the bill would have sent it back to the Senate instead of to the president’s desk.

In a statement after the vote, Blumenthal said: “Today is a historic triumph for democracy — ours and Ukraine’s — showing that America can still muster bipartisan unity in the fight for freedom.”

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