{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://fitzpatrick.house.gov/2025/12/fitzpatrick-leads-bipartisan-effort-to-advance-new-peace-through-strength-sanctions-on-russia-toward-january-floor-action", "Fitzpatrick, Meeks, Bipartisan Colleagues Advance New \u2018Peace Through Strength\u2019 Sanctions on Russia Toward January Floor Action", "2025-12-18", "2025", "2025-12", "Republican", "House", "PA", "Brian K. Fitzpatrick", "F000466", "fitzpatrick.house.gov", "fitzpatrick", "https://fitzpatrick.house.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C.\u2014 Today, Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, Co-Chair of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus, and Foreign Affairs Ranking Member Gregory Meeks (NY-5), led a broad bipartisan coalition of House Members to introduce the Peace Through Strength Against Russia Act of 2025, comprehensive legislation that translates ongoing negotiations into decisive congressional action and advances the bill toward House Floor consideration in January.\n\nCo-leads on the bill include Representatives Don Bacon (NE-2), Mike Turner (OH-10), Tom Suozzi (NY-3), Mike Lawler (NY-17), Steny Hoyer (MD-5), Bill Keating (MA-9), and Marcy Kaptur (OH-9), reflecting broad, bipartisan agreement that Congress must lead with resolve as diplomatic efforts continue.\n\n\u201cNegotiations do not relieve Congress of its responsibility to act,\u201d said Fitzpatrick. \u201cThat responsibility has been clear for some time, and waiting is no longer an option. Peace through strength is the discipline of negotiating from strength\u2014of standing with Ukraine, making unmistakably clear that Russia\u2019s campaign of aggression will not be normalized or rewarded, and affirming that America still enforces the rules that keep peace possible. This is not just about ending one war. It is about setting the rules for a world that is watching whether America still enforces them. We can end this war. We can end Putin\u2019s tyranny. And we must lead the American way\u2014through peace, through strength. I am grateful to be working hand in hand with Ranking Member Meeks to push any and all solutions forward to the House Floor, including the Ukraine Support Act. We can end this war. We can end Putin\u2019s tyranny. And we must lead the American way\u2014through peace, through strength.\u201d\n\n\u201cRussia won't negotiate an end to its war unless real pressure is applied on the Kremlin to stop its brutality. I'm proud to have worked with Rep. Fitzpatrick on a compromise Russia sanctions bill that would impose real costs on Russia and those fueling its war effort, while avoiding further harmful global tariffs. I thank Rep. Fitzpatrick for also signing my discharge petition for the Ukraine Support Act, helping work towards both measures reaching the House floor for a vote. There is strong bipartisan support for Ukraine in the House, and this agreement makes clear that Russia cannot wait it out or continue its war of aggression without facing significant consequences,\u201d said Meeks.\n\n\u201cThe only viable path to peace in Ukraine is putting pressure on the Kremlin. It is beyond important that both sides of the aisle have come together on compromise legislation to impose strong sanctions on Russia for its illegal war of aggression as well as to take additional steps to move the bipartisan discharge petition for the Ukraine Support Act forward in the House,\u201d said HFAC Subcommittee on Europe Ranking Member Keating. \u201cAs Ukraine continues to defend itself from Russian aggression, the Ukrainian people must know that Ukraine has strong bipartisan support in the House of Representatives. The Kremlin must also know that we will not rest until a durable Ukraine-supported peace deal is achieved.\u201d\n\nWe must take firm action against the Russian Federation. This bill sends a clear message: any refusal to engage in meaningful negotiations for peace or any violation of agreements will not go unpunished. We stand with Ukraine and affirm our commitment to ensuring that they are protected from further aggression. It's time for diplomacy,\" said Turner.\n\n\u201cPutin\u2019s regime only responds to resolve and takes advantage of weakness and vacillation. During these failed negotiations, Russia has continued bombing Ukrainian cities with increasing intensity. We must play hardball by sending Ukraine the weapons it needs and imposing tough sanctions on Russia that cripple his war economy, an approach Americans overwhelmingly agree with,\u201d said Bacon. \u201cI\u2019m pleased to join Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick in co-leading the bipartisan Peace Through Strength Against Russia Act to impose sanctions and other measures if Russia refuses to negotiate a peace agreement with Ukraine.\u201d\n\n\u201cRussia\u2019s unprovoked war against Ukraine is a direct assault on sovereignty, democracy, and the international rules-based order. The United States will not reward aggression or allow Vladimir Putin to stall, violate agreements, or prepare for another invasion without serious consequences. Peace will only come when Russia understands that continued violence carries real costs. I\u2019m proud to cosponsor this legislation to strengthen sanctions, hold bad actors accountable, and stand firmly with the Ukrainian people,\u201d said Lawler.\n\n\u201cPeace through strength means standing up to dictators through actions, not just words,\" said Suozzi. \"The Peace Through Strength Against Russia Act does exactly that by cracking down on those responsible for the kidnapping of Ukrainian children, increasing sanction pressure on Russia, and expanding sanctions to Russian partners in North Korea. I'm proud to stand with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to say that the United States will not tolerate Putin's murderous war in Ukraine, and will defend our democratic allies across the world.\"\n\n\"Through force, Dictator Putin aspires to rewrite the structure of Europe and end democratic practice across the continent. America\u2019s foreign policy must promote Liberty, not bow to Tyranny,\" said Kaptur (OH-09), Co-Founder and Co-Chair of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus. \"With this new bipartisan bill, we are putting forward the most significant legislation introduced this Congress to place economic sanctions on Russia for its war crimes against Ukraine.\"\n\nThe Peace Through Strength Against Russia Act of 2025 builds on Fitzpatrick\u2019s constant efforts since the beginning of the conflict in 2022 to advance designed to force meaningful negotiations, deter further aggression, and ensure any peace agreement is real, durable, and accepted by the free and independent Government of Ukraine.\n\nUnlike piecemeal sanctions, the legislation establishes a comprehensive structure that directly links Russia\u2019s economic isolation to its willingness to pursue\u2014and honor\u2014peace. It reflects overwhelming bipartisan support for empowering the United States to use strong economic pressure as a tool to help bring this war to an end.\n\nSpecifically, the bill would:\n\nMandate sanctions on senior Russian officials, oligarchs, state-owned enterprises, and entities supporting Russia\u2019s defense, energy, and transportation sectors\n\nSever Russia\u2019s access to the global financial system, including blocking transactions with Russian financial institutions, prohibiting U.S. investment in Russia, banning trading of Russian entities on U.S. securities exchanges, and targeting financial messaging systems used to evade sanctions\n\nClose loopholes fueling Russia\u2019s war economy, including ending refined oil import workarounds and prohibiting U.S. purchases of Russian sovereign debt\n\nTarget Russia\u2019s energy leverage, prohibiting new U.S. investment and sanctioning foreign actors who enable Russian oil, gas, LNG, and uranium production\n\nImpose sanctions for war crimes, including the kidnapping and wrongful deportation of Ukrainian children and Russia-North Korea cooperation supporting Russia\u2019s illegal war\n\nIncrease duties up to 500 percent on goods imported from the Russian Federation to further isolate Russia economically\n\nThe legislation also establishes a clear and enforceable off-ramp: sanctions may only be terminated if Russia signs a peace agreement accepted by Ukraine and fully ceases hostilities\u2014subject to congressional review to prevent premature or politically motivated rollbacks.\n\nWith negotiations ongoing, Fitzpatrick and his bipartisan colleagues will continue building support with the goal of bringing the Peace Through Strength Against Russia Act of 2025 to the House Floor in January\u2014ensuring Congress does its part to match diplomacy with decisive action.\n\nRead the full bill text here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://fitzpatrick.house.gov/2025/12/fitzpatrick-leads-bipartisan-effort-to-advance-new-peace-through-strength-sanctions-on-russia-toward-january-floor-action"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.459808088839054, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}