Sweeping Russia-Iran Sanctions Bill Advances Toward House Vote

The House Rules Committee on Sept. 14 moved forward a sanctions package aimed at tightening pressure on Russia and extending Iran-related penalties, voting 7-3 to advance a rule that would open the legislation to debate. If the rule passes on the House floor, members could take up the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 as soon as Sept. 16, a time-sensitive schedule because the House is due to leave Washington for an extended pre-election recess.

Originally approved by the Senate in August by an 86-11 margin, the measure was introduced in the House by Republican Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas with Democratic Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland and other bipartisan cosponsors. Backers say the bill targets the financial networks enabling Russia’s war effort, extends sanctions on Iran’s energy and weapons funding, and would increase U.S. leverage over Moscow.

The sharpest disagreements have centered on language that would permit the president to impose tariffs of up to 100 percent on major purchasers of Russian oil and gas and on countries accused of helping Russia evade sanctions. House Democrats warned those powers are overly broad, could be used beyond the bill’s stated aims, and might raise costs for American consumers. Top Foreign Affairs Committee Democrat Rep. Gregory Meeks said he supports more pressure on Russia but opposed the bill as written and proposed amendments to narrow the tariff authority, tighten waiver rules and clarify that entities such as the European Union could not be treated as a single country for tariff purposes.

Committee members rejected those Democratic amendments. Supporters including McCaul argued the tariff mechanism is narrowly targeted at the largest importers of Russian energy and would provide crucial leverage over President Vladimir Putin; McCaul also cited backing from European officials and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The White House has expressed support for the package, and President Trump has signaled he wants additional tools to pressure Russia and states that continue buying Russian energy. With little time before the House recess, lawmakers face a compressed window to resolve disputes over the scope of presidential tariff authority before the legislation reaches the floor.