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House Republicans Prepare Rare Move to Force Vote on Russia Sanctions
A pair of House Republicans are gearing up to force a chamber-wide vote on sanctioning Russia for its war in Ukraine, potentially circumventing GOP leadership after months of stalled progress on the issue.
Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) told Fox News Digital that he plans to sign onto a discharge petition for legislation authored by Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick. The rare procedural move would allow lawmakers to bypass House leadership and bring the sanctions bill directly to the floor.
“This coming week, Brian Fitzpatrick’s sanctions bill ripens, so we can actually submit it as a discharge petition on Monday or Tuesday, and I’ll sign that,” Bacon said. “But it’s got to start from scratch. We’ve got to get 218 signatures on it.”
The maneuver faces significant hurdles, requiring signatures from a majority of House lawmakers. Historically, members of the majority party rarely cross their leadership in such a direct manner.
Fitzpatrick introduced his bill in December to sanction Russia if it refuses to negotiate a peace agreement with Ukraine or violates any existing peace agreement. According to congressional records, he recently introduced a resolution aimed at fast-tracking the bill to the floor.
A source familiar with the planning told Fox News Digital that Fitzpatrick and Bacon would give House GOP leaders “one last chance” to hold a vote on Russia sanctions before proceeding with the petition. The source also indicated Fitzpatrick is in direct communication with the White House on the matter.
The political standoff has created a legislative impasse. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has repeatedly stated that while he supports sanctioning Russia, any sanctions bill must originate in the Senate. However, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has insisted the process must begin in the House.
While the Trump administration has imposed some sanctions on Russian entities, primarily targeting the oil and gas sector, Ukraine advocates argue these measures are insufficient to significantly impact Moscow’s war machine. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), leading the sanctions effort in the Senate, told Semafor that Congress is still awaiting President Donald Trump’s approval to move forward.
“I know a lot of folks don’t want to get in front of President Trump, but I think he’s failing in this area,” Bacon said, comparing the current administration’s approach unfavorably to the previous one. “When you look at the amount of aid that we’ve provided, it’s like 1% of what we were doing under Biden.”
For Bacon, the issue transcends politics, drawing historical parallels to World War II. “Someday in the history books, it’s going to read which leaders stood up, which ones were [Winston] Churchills and which ones were [Neville] Chamberlains,” he said, referring to the British prime ministers who took opposing approaches to Adolf Hitler’s aggression.
“We’ve got to know a bad guy when we see one, and [Russian President Vladimir] Putin is a bad guy. He’s made clear, it’s not just about Ukraine. He wants to regain the rest of what the Soviet Union had,” Bacon added.
Despite the challenges, Bacon remains cautiously optimistic that both his discharge petition with Fitzpatrick and another similar measure on sending more aid to Ukraine will garner enough GOP support to advance. The latter, led by Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), reportedly needs just one more Republican signature to force a vote.
“We’ve got one [Republican] on the fence, thinking about it, and one that wants to wait until the primary is done,” Bacon explained. “But I wish we had it tomorrow. Ukrainians are dying every day. And so, to me, the necessity of getting this done soon is very clear.”
The rare bipartisan effort highlights growing concern among some lawmakers about the effectiveness of current sanctions and aid to Ukraine as the conflict with Russia continues without resolution.
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15 Comments
Forcing a vote on Russia sanctions through a discharge petition is an unorthodox approach. It will be telling to see how much bipartisan support the effort can generate, and whether it ultimately succeeds.
Indeed, this procedural maneuver highlights the tensions within the Republican party on this issue. It will be a test of leadership’s ability to maintain unity.
The proposed sanctions bill seems like a reasonable approach to pressure Russia to negotiate in good faith. Bypassing leadership to force a vote is an unusual tactic, but the situation may warrant it given the stalled progress so far.
Yes, the dynamics in Congress appear quite complex on this issue. A direct vote could help break the impasse, though the hurdles for a discharge petition are high.
Sanctions on Russia have far-reaching economic implications, so it’s understandable that House leadership would be cautious. However, the proposed bill seems targeted and could help maintain pressure on the Kremlin to end the war.
Agreed. Maintaining a united front against Russian aggression is important, but the specifics of any sanctions legislation will be crucial in terms of their economic impact.
Interesting move by House Republicans to force a vote on Russia sanctions. It shows bipartisan concern over the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Curious to see if they can gather enough support to bypass leadership and bring this bill to the floor.
Agreed, this is a significant procedural step. It will be important to see how much Republican support the discharge petition can garner and whether it ultimately leads to a vote on sanctions legislation.
The threat of a unilateral House vote on Russia sanctions is an interesting political maneuver. It speaks to the frustration over the lack of progress, but it remains to be seen if they can garner the necessary support.
As an investor in mining and energy equities, I’m curious to see how this potential Russia sanctions vote could impact commodity markets and related stocks. Geopolitical tensions often create volatility in these sectors.
That’s a good point. Any escalation or expansion of sanctions on Russia could disrupt global energy and commodity supplies, which would likely be reflected in the prices of relevant equities.
Kudos to the House Republicans for trying to break the logjam on Russia sanctions. Even if the discharge petition faces long odds, the attempt demonstrates a desire to take meaningful action against the Kremlin’s aggression.
Agreed. While the procedural hurdles are significant, the effort signals that there is bipartisan resolve to maintain pressure on Russia through economic measures, if possible.
From an investor’s perspective, the potential impact of new Russia sanctions on commodities and energy markets is something to closely monitor. Disruptions to global supply chains could create volatility.
As an American, I support efforts to hold Russia accountable for its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. But the mechanics of how this plays out in Congress will be interesting to watch, given the political dynamics.