On Monday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) expressed skepticism regarding the likelihood of including a bipartisan bill, which would impose serious sanctions on countries buying oil from Russia, in the current continuing resolution (CR) meant to fund the government after September 30th.
Thune mentioned that while he hopes the sanctions proposal led by Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) will be ready for Senate discussion soon, he doubts it will come to fruition.
“It’s about sanctions on Russia. I hope it happens. I talked to Lindsey over the weekend. I’m optimistic it can move quickly, but the president’s goal is to get our European allies on board,” Thune explained to reporters.
He further noted, “Without unified support from all allies, the sanctions may lose effectiveness. I commend the President for pursuing this approach. It’s crucial for everyone to align in their response to the situation in Ukraine and with Russia.”
Republican leaders indicated their intent to advance the government funding package passed by the House later this week.
“I want to see it happen, and ideally, I’d like to have it wrapped up before we leave for home this week,” he stated.
Thune emphasized the importance of keeping the funding bill as streamlined as possible to avoid potential government shutdowns. House GOP leaders also signaled they would soon be unveiling a “clean” suspension bill.
“There are a few irregularities in the CR, but overall, it should be acceptable, so Democrats should be willing to go along with it,” he remarked.
Thune added that the stopgap funding measures might include provisions for increased security funding across Congress, the Supreme Court, and executive departments.
President Trump has requested $58 million to enhance security in law enforcement and judicial areas.
Graham, along with Representative Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), the primary Senate and House sponsors of the 2025 Authorization Russia Act, released a statement on Saturday urging their colleagues to incorporate the sanctions legislation into the ongoing resolution.
