The bill marks the first time in more than two years that the U.S. Congress has passed a Ukraine aid bill.
Published September 17, 2026
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bipartisan sanctions bill targeting Russia over its continued war in Ukraine.
Lawmakers voted Wednesday to send the sweeping bill, sponsored by the late Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, to President Donald Trump’s desk, ending more than a year of delays and roadblocks. The final vote was 262-159, and it had already been passed by the U.S. Senate.
Recommended stories
list of 3 itemsend of list
The long-awaited bill would give the president new powers to impose tariffs of up to 100 percent on countries such as China and India that import energy supplies from Russia, allowing the U.S. government to further restrict money transfers to Russia. The measure would also impose sanctions on Russian officials, banks and the shadow tanker fleet that keeps Russia’s energy moving.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been pushing for the bill to pass, appealing directly to senators just before it passed last month.
Fifty-eight Democratic members of Congress rebelled against party leadership and worked with a majority of Republicans to pass the bill.
Democrats have overwhelmingly supported Ukraine in the war. But House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries opposed the bill, saying the new tariff powers given to the White House could be used to exploit U.S. allies.
“The way this bill is written does not require the president of the United States to impose sanctions on Russia,” Jeffries said on the House floor Wednesday. “In fact, there are so many loopholes written into this bill that I believe it is highly unlikely that any sanctions relief contemplated in this bill will ever see the light of day.”
The bill marks the first time in more than two years that the U.S. Congress has passed legislation supporting Ukraine. The bill was named after Graham, who died suddenly in July and helped negotiate support for the bill with President Trump.
House Speaker Mike Johnson welcomed the bill’s passage, saying it would put “maximum pressure on Russia’s war machine,” including President Vladimir Putin.
“For too long, President Putin has been funding this devastating war with money and resources from countries he turns a blind eye to, and today it ends,” Johnson said in a social media post. “This bill sends a powerful message of American unity and gives the administration every tool in its toolbox to end this war justly, and we are proud to send it to the President’s desk.”
After the vote, a group of Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate celebrated the vote in an unusual bipartisan news conference.
Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, who co-authored the bill with Mr. Graham, said he hoped sanctions would help bring Putin to the negotiating table and end the war.
“Dear President Vladimir Putin, we have your phone number,” Blumenthal said. “And Ukrainians, you are not alone.”
President Trump is expected to sign the bill into law.
