The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to hold a decisive vote today on the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026. Razom We Stand, the Ukrainian-founded energy and policy organisation, is calling on lawmakers to pass the bill without further carve-outs and on President Trump to sign it and use the full sanctions authority it grants him.
Early this morning, a Russian drone struck a passenger minibus in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region, killing five people and wounding at least seven more — a reminder of what’s at stake while this bill has sat in Washington since the Senate passed it 86-11 on August 7.
Dr Svitlana Romanko, Founder and Executive Director of Razom We Stand, said:
“This morning, a Russian drone hit a passenger minibus in Dnipropetrovsk region — ordinary people going about their day — killing five and wounding seven more, while this bill sat waiting in Washington. For us in Ukraine, this isn’t just a policy debate; it’s a body count, and it grows every week Congress waits. The Senate has already done its part. Now it’s on the House to not only finish the job by passing the bill, but also to use their leverage on President Trump, getting him to sign this Sanctions bill and use the full authority it gives him. The President must not delay or weaken the bill with waivers or loopholes that would only show American weakness. Once the bill is quickly signed and becomes law, we hope for strong US enforcement to finally end the cash flows to the Kremlin’s war chest. Every day of delay is a day we in Ukraine must bury more people.”
The bill lets the president impose tariffs of up to 100% on the world’s top five buyers of Russian oil or gas. Having adopted the procedural rule by a vote of 214-211 on September 15, the House is expected to cast the decisive vote on whether to concur with the Senate’s changes as soon as today. Razom We Stand is pressing lawmakers and the President not to weaken the bill’s contents, warning that loopholes and exemptions risk shielding Russia’s largest remaining customers from the accountability the bill is designed to deliver.
