House Speaker Mike Johnson is pushing hard for tough new sanctions on Russia, calling them long overdue amid Vladimir Putin’s ongoing attacks on Ukraine. But he’s making it clear: Congress will follow President Trump’s lead on how to move forward.
Speaking on CBS News’ Face the Nation, Johnson said desperate times like these demand bold action. “I think appropriate sanctions on Russia are far overdue,” he stated, as Russian forces keep pounding Ukraine with drones and missiles. Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, highlighted the strong support in Congress for ramping up pressure on Moscow’s war machine.
The push gained steam after Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Representative Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) suggested attaching the sanctions to a must-pass bill to avoid a government shutdown in just two weeks. Johnson is eager to team up with the White House and Senate leaders to make it happen.
This builds on a bipartisan sanctions package introduced months ago by Graham and Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), which now has around 85 co-sponsors. The plan would slap secondary tariffs on countries buying Russian oil, aiming to cut off a major funding source for Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has thrown his full support behind the idea, urging the US to act fast. Trump, however, has been more cautious. He believes he can handle such penalties through executive powers and worries that new laws might mess up US efforts to broker peace. White House officials have echoed that, saying legislation could complicate talks.
Last month, Trump floated the idea of secondary tariffs on Russia but held back after Putin met with US special envoy Steve Witkoff. Trump even held a summit with Putin in Alaska. Things heated up again when Putin unleashed massive drone and missile strikes on Ukraine. On Saturday, Trump called on NATO allies to join a coordinated sanctions push against Russia, which already faces heavy Western economic penalties.
Johnson stressed that Congress can’t act alone—Trump would need to sign any bill into law. “We defer to the commander in chief,” he said. “The President is a strong and bold leader on the world stage.”
It’s a reminder of Johnson’s tough year. Last year, he barely survived a rebellion led by Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) after pushing a vote on $61 billion in aid for Ukraine. Now, with Russia sanctions back in the spotlight, the House Speaker is ready to navigate the politics once more.
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