Bottom Line Up Front
The House must act quickly to drain Russia’s war chest and kneecap its expected offensive on Ukraine’s energy grid this winter. Delaying action until 2027 would miss the critical period when Russia has previously targeted Ukraine’s power grid. Congress should maximize economic pressure now while Ukraine holds the initiative and Moscow’s financial position is weak. Doing so will give the United States the necessary leverage to bring Putin to the negotiating table.
FDD Action urges the House to approve the Senate-passed version of the bill before it breaks for the October recess. While House leaders plan to bring the Senate-passed Russia sanctions bill to the floor this fall, swift action will be critical. To demonstrate the House is ready to move the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, Representatives Michael McCaul (R-TX) and Steny Hoyer (D-MD) have introduced a companion bill and are building the bipartisan list of House cosponsors.
Now is a critical time to build momentum for the bill, set the timeline, and urge House leaders to schedule swift consideration. This Policy Alert unpacks Ukraine’s battlefield advantage, how Moscow weaponizes winter, Russia’s weak economic outlook, and what Congress can do.
FDD Action Expert Analysis
“The House has already indicated its intention to vote on this bill. It now needs to set a firm date this September and pass it before it breaks for the October recess. Each week of delay allows Putin to rebuild his war funds and prepare for further attacks. Russia’s economy is deteriorating, its army has suffered astonishing losses, and Ukraine is regaining territory. This is the time to increase pressure, not delay it. FDD Action calls on the House to pass the bill in its current form before Russia’s expected winter offensive on Ukraine’s power grid.”
– Daniel Vaynshteyn, Associate Director of Government Relations at FDD Action
What’s at Stake
Russia is once again preparing to use the winter to harm Ukrainian civilians.
- Russia’s track record: Last winter, Russia carried out at least 423 attacks on Ukraine’s electricity facilities and 74 strikes on heating plants, according to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine. The UN mission found these attacks systematically targeted centralized heating infrastructure, leaving many civilians without heating and hot water for weeks during Ukraine’s coldest winter since 2010. In January, Russian strikes left millions with only a few hours of electricity each day.
- How it works: Frozen ground and repeat strikes make winter grid repairs far slower than summer ones at the very time when power outages can become life-threatening. Russia’s strategy to “freeze out” Ukraine leverages civilian suffering and lowered morale to shape Kyiv and Washington’s strategic decisions.
Ukraine has for the first time in years taken the initiative on the battlefield.
- Battlefield success: Ukraine launched a six-month counteroffensive in Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, and Zaporizhzhia, liberating 26 settlements and over 745 square kilometers. The operation aimed to disrupt Russia’s spring-summer 2026 offensive.
The Russian war economy faces limited options.
- Broader economic pain: The Kremlin’s budget deficit has doubled, leading Moscow to raise the value-added tax and reportedly solicit oligarchs for budget “donations.” Analysts also expect GDP growth in 2026 to fall to 0.4%. The Kremlin has already sold 71% of its gold reserves, an important fiscal buffer for covering budget shortfalls.
- Prime time for sanctions: Given these factors, the Sanctioning Russia Act’s passage is crucial to keep up the economic pressure on the Kremlin. It would also demonstrate that the West’s resolve to continue economic sanctions on Russia is taking its toll on Putin’s war economy.
What Congress Can Do
Demonstrate support for the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act by cosponsoring the House companion and pushing for a September vote.
- Set a date: House leadership should schedule a vote on the Senate-passed version, H.R. 5334, under suspension of the rules this September.
- Push leaders to act before October recess: Urge House Leadership to bring the bill forward for a vote before the midterm elections and Congress enters a lame duck period. If there is any further delay, the energy-terror campaign carried out by Russia will be able to resume without restraint this winter, as it did during 2025–2026.
- Cosponsor H.R. 10076: This is the House companion to the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act. Members of Congress who have not already done so should join the bipartisan coalition led by Representatives McCaul and Hoyer to build support before the floor vote.
About FDD Action
FDD Action is a non-profit, non-partisan 501(c)(4) organization established to advocate for effective policies to promote U.S. national security and defend free nations. FDD Action serves as a trusted resource for congressional offices and executive branch policymakers navigating complex national security challenges, leveraging a team with decades of experience on Capitol Hill and in the policy arena.