Sen. Blumenthal urges House to pass Russia sanctions bill amid a “moment of extreme urgency” in Ukraine

Washington — Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut on Sunday urged the House to approve the Senate-passed Russia sanctions bill amid a “moment of extreme urgency” in the war in Ukraine.

“It is a moment of extreme urgency, for the reason that Putin may try to escalate, but also because Putin is on his heels economically,” Blumenthal said on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.” “And this kind of sanctions bill, throttling the flow of revenue to his war machine could undercut completely his ability to wage this brutal, murderous war.”

The Senate passed the measure along wide bipartisan margins before leaving town for its August recess earlier this month, in a push that came following the sudden death of Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who had long championed the effort alongside Blumenthal. Now, the sanctions push moved to the House, which is set to return this week from a five-week recess. But the bill’s prospects in the lower chamber remain uncertain.

The bill, titled The Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, would allow the president to impose tariffs of up to 100% on the top five purchasers of Russian oil or natural gas, with exceptions for countries that import less than 15% of their natural gas from Russia that are also taking steps to reduce the imports. But some House Democrats have expressed concerns about giving the president more authority. 

Asked by Brennan about possible Democratic opposition, Blumenthal defended the bill, which he said was “the result of painstaking, sometimes painful, negotiations” with the U.S. trade representative, the White House and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.

“It passed the Senate 86 to 11 — not many measures doing that kind of successful passage these days,” Blumenthal said.

The Connecticut Democrat pointed to the bill’s increased authority for the president to “impose scorching sanctions on the oligarchs” and the financial institutions, along with measures to “crack down on the shadow fleet,” and tariff authority “narrowly constrained” to the five largest purchasers of Russian oil and gas. 

Blumenthal said the sanctions bill could weaken Russian President Vladimir Putin’s position, pointing to Moscow’s economic outlook. 

“His economy is on the verge of major crisis,” Blumenthal said. “He has a deficit looming of $125 billion, 5% of his GDP, an interest rate of 14% on his national debt.”

Blumenthal said he’s “very hopeful” that the sanctions bill will find enough support from Democrats to pass in the House, adding that while visiting Ukraine last week, he urged Zelenskyy to meet with members of Congress, like the Ukrainian leader did in the Senate. 

“I’m very hopeful that he will because he’s Ukraine’s strongest advocate,” Blumenthal added. 

The comments come after a Russian drone strike west of Kyiv on Friday night that marked the deadliest attack this year in Ukraine. Blumenthal said the latest attack is “only one of every night’s bombardment of hospitals, homes, schools,” saying “Putin is killing Ukrainians in cold blood with his missiles and bombs.”

“This trip was exhilarating because Ukraine is clearly making progress; it’s turning the tide,” he said. “But it was also heartbreaking to see the toll that this war is taking.”

Blumenthal said during their meeting, Zelenskyy outlined his priorities, which the Connecticut Democrat called a “homework assignment that he gave me.”

“No. 1, the Russian sanctions bill,” Blumenthal said.