House Republicans have put a sweeping Russia-and-Iran sanctions package on track for a high-stakes vote next week, setting up a showdown over how much economic leverage Congress is willing to hand President Trump.

The bill is designed to choke off the oil, gas and financial networks funding Vladimir Putin’s war machine while extending pressure on Iran’s energy and weapons sectors.

But the fight in the House is no longer simply about whether to punish Moscow. Top Democrats are objecting to the tariff authority the bill would give President Trump — and that dispute could decide whether the package reaches his desk.

The newest report says the Senate-passed bill is finally moving toward a House vote:

Rep. Michael McCaul’s office says the bipartisan Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act targets the major purchasers of Russian oil and gas, Russian financial institutions, the Kremlin’s shadow fleet and entities supporting Russia’s defense industry.

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The House bill was introduced by McCaul, a Texas Republican, and Rep. Steny Hoyer, a Maryland Democrat, alongside 16 other lawmakers from both parties. Its text is identical to the version the Senate passed 86-11 last month.

The legislation also extends sanctions aimed at restricting money flowing into Iran’s energy and weapons sectors. That Iran provision was added after President Trump pressed senators to include it.

The measure is named for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, who spent more than a year building support for the package. McCaul said the bill had secured White House backing and would give President Trump stronger leverage to force Putin toward serious negotiations.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made his own direct appeal Friday, arguing that delay allows Russia to keep financing the war:

The Associated Press reports that the House Rules Committee has scheduled a meeting on the bill for Monday, with a procedural vote likely later in the week. Because lawmakers are expected to spend much of the remaining pre-election calendar back in their districts, next week may be Congress’s last realistic window to move the measure before the midterms.

The package would allow tariffs of up to 100 percent on the five largest purchasers of Russian oil or natural gas, including China and India. It includes exceptions for countries buying less than 15 percent of Russia’s natural-gas exports when those nations are taking steps to reduce their dependence.

The bill would also sanction Putin, senior Russian political and military figures, Russian banks and major energy projects. Older reflagged tankers used to evade existing restrictions would face new pressure, while the White House could waive sanctions when the president certifies that doing so is in the national interest.

That last cluster of presidential powers has become the pressure point.

Democratic Reps. Gregory Meeks, Richard Neal and Don Beyer say they support Ukraine but oppose the bill in its current form.

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Their joint statement argues that the tariff authority is too broad and could be used against American allies rather than remaining tightly focused on countries bankrolling Russia’s energy economy.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee Democrats published the objection as Republican leaders confirmed next week’s action:

The opposition is striking because the Senate vote was overwhelmingly bipartisan and the House version was introduced by lawmakers from both parties.

Republicans are offering Congress a chance to hit two hostile regimes where it hurts: the revenues and financial channels that keep their aggression moving. Democrats now have to decide whether their distrust of President Trump’s tariff power outweighs the urgency they claim to place on confronting Russia.

For President Trump, the package would add another economic weapon to a foreign-policy approach built around sanctions, tariffs and maximum leverage before wider military commitments.

For the House, the choice is more immediate. Members can refine the bill through the legislative process, but letting the clock expire would leave the Senate’s 86-11 vote stranded and the promised pressure on Moscow and Tehran unrealized.

Monday’s Rules Committee meeting will be the first real test. If Republican leaders can clear the procedural obstacles, the full House may finally have to put every member on record.

File photo: Rep. Michael McCaul speaks at a Rice University cybersecurity event in September 2009.

Photo by Ed Schipul, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.5. Cropped, expanded and color-enhanced; this derivative is distributed under the same license.

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This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport. View the original article here.

 

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