Washington — Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut on Sunday pressed the House to take up and pass a Senate-approved Russia sanctions package, warning that the war in Ukraine has reached a “moment of extreme urgency.”
“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 earlier this month before departing for its August recess. The push followed the sudden death of Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who had long championed the effort with Blumenthal. The legislation now heads to the House, which is scheduled to return this week after a five-week break, though its path forward in the chamber remains unclear.
Formally named The Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, the bill would authorize the president to impose tariffs of up to 100% on the five largest buyers of Russian oil or natural gas. It includes carveouts for countries that receive less than 15% of their natural gas from Russia and are taking steps to reduce those imports. Some House Democrats, however, have raised concerns about expanding presidential authority.
Asked by Brennan about potential resistance from Democrats, Blumenthal defended the legislation as the product of “painstaking, sometimes painful, negotiations” involving the U.S. trade representative, the White House and lawmakers from both parties.
“It passed the Senate 86 to 11 — not many measures doing that kind of successful passage these days,” Blumenthal said.
Blumenthal said the measure would give the president greater power to “impose scorching sanctions on the oligarchs” and financial institutions, while also targeting Russia’s “shadow fleet.” He emphasized that the tariff authority is “narrowly constrained” to the five biggest purchasers of Russian oil and gas.
The Connecticut Democrat argued that tougher sanctions could further weaken Russian President Vladimir Putin, citing the strain already evident in 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.”
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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.
