Several House Republicans are warning they will withhold votes from a Pentagon spending package of at least $350 billion unless President Donald Trump changes course on Russia. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wants Congress to pass the partisan reconciliation package after the November 3 midterm elections.
Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), who will leave office in January, said the administration cannot pass any of its agenda during the lame-duck session without shifting toward pressuring Moscow. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), said agencies “won’t get funding if they’re not doing their jobs,” in remarks about restrictions on Ukraine’s access to satellite services.
Trump set off the dispute with two decisions in the past two weeks. On October 9, he said Russia would deliver over 4 million tons of diesel for world buyers in installments, and the Treasury Department issued a license allowing Russian diesel transactions, among them purchases by US importers. Late Friday, October 16, Trump waived the Russia sanctions and the tariffs on the largest importers of Russian energy that the Graham Act was due to impose. Congress passed the law, which honors the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., with votes from both parties, and Trump signed it in September. The law lets the president waive penalties by certifying in writing that doing so serves US national interests.
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Saturday the White House will spend two months studying the law’s economic impact in the US and abroad before putting it into force. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Sunday that the US will allow Russian diesel onto global markets if Moscow reduces the fighting in Ukraine. Trump posted on Truth Social that day that his decisions could help bring about a peace deal, and he criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for striking Russian refineries.
Bacon also criticized reports that the White House cut intelligence sharing with Ukraine and limited its access to Starlink. Ukrainian officials said their military lost access last week to Starshield, SpaceX’s military satellite service, and a Ukrainian Defense Ministry source later said service had resumed.
The representative predicted that Trump’s Russia policy has cost him enough Republican votes that House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), may not find the votes for the defense money or any other lame-duck priority. Democrats overwhelmingly oppose the Iran war, which leaves Republican leaders needing nearly every GOP vote in the House, and the package has stalled over how to pay for it.
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A House Republican aide who spoke anonymously said congressional pressure will force the administration to ease its position if it wants legislation to move. Other Republicans say members who retire or lose in November will feel free to vote against Trump without fear of political backlash.
Twenty-two House members from both parties signed a letter last week urging Trump to revoke the Treasury diesel license and put the Graham Act sanctions fully into effect without delay. The lawmakers said the license undercuts the sanctions law, even if it doesn’t break it outright. Five Republicans signed the letter, including Bacon, Fitzpatrick, and Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), who co-chairs the House Ukraine Caucus.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), a retiring Republican, called the waiver “beyond irresponsible.” Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., who holds her late brother’s seat, objected to Trump’s decision.
Zelenskyy has condemned both the diesel arrangement and the waiver.
