Lawmakers from both parties want the president to enforce sanctions he signed into law last month, setting up possible clashes after the midterm elections.
Donald Trump’s moves to ease economic pressure on Russia while stepping up criticism of Ukraine have drawn opposition from both parties in Congress, a backlash that could complicate his agenda after next month’s midterm elections.
Seeking to draw Russian President Vladimir Putin into talks to end the war in Ukraine, Trump has lifted sanctions on Russian diesel exports and waived newly enacted sanctions on Russian officials, oligarchs, banks and state companies.
At the same time, he has increased pressure on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, calling for him to be replaced. Reuters reported last week that a satellite system Ukraine uses for battlefield communications and drone operations had been throttled on an order from inside the White House.
In a letter on 15 October, 17 Democrats and five Republicans in the House of Representatives urged Trump to “apply the Graham law’s sanctions to their fullest extent and without delay”.
They added that Putin “has repeatedly shown that he responds to pressure, not goodwill”.
The law, championed by the late Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, passed Congress by large majorities and was signed by Trump in mid-September.
The Republican signatories were Representatives Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Joe Wilson of South Carolina, Michael McCaul of Texas, Don Bacon of Nebraska and Dan Newhouse of Washington state.
A separate letter on 13 October, signed by five senior Senate Republicans and six Democrats, also criticised the diesel agreement.
Fitzpatrick went further. In a post on X on Monday, he said any move to limit the use of “Starshield” intelligence to warn Kyiv of Russian attacks would be “fully investigated” by Congress.
He threatened “harsh and punitive budget cuts to any responsible agency or agency head”. Starshield is SpaceX’s satellite service for government and military customers.
The White House pushed back. “President Trump has been clear that he wants to see this brutal war come to an end,” spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said in an email.
She added that Trump “retains the ability to exercise these authorities at any time if he determines that doing so would advance national interests”.
The backlash raises the possibility that some Republicans could join Democrats in investigations and legislation to reverse Trump’s priorities after the 3 November elections.
After the vote, Congress must pass a bill authorising defence programmes for another year, and government spending through 30 September 2027, including funding for the Pentagon and intelligence agencies. Lawmakers could use those bills to try to reverse or change the president’s Russia policies.
If they do, Trump could veto the bills, setting up a showdown.
James Lindsay, a US foreign policy expert at the Council on Foreign Relations, said the Republican backlash was not surprising given the Senate’s bipartisan votes on the Graham bill. But he said passing legislation would be difficult.
“Even if Congress can overcome its institutional divisions, its partisan divisions and overcome a presidential veto … that’s no guarantee the president will act or observe that constraint,” he said.
Many Republicans still back Trump’s approach.
Senator Ted Budd of North Carolina, a member of the Armed Services Committee, said at a Trump rally in his home state that he supported the president’s pivot towards Putin. He said the diesel agreement was important to keep Moscow involved in negotiations to end the war.
“It’s a very minimal dollar amount actually to Russia, but it’s enough of a fig leaf to get them to the table to bring an end to the aggression against Ukraine,” Budd said.
Trump hosted Putin at a summit in Anchorage, Alaska, in August 2025, but the meeting ended without an agreement to end the war.
Even House Speaker Mike Johnson, a staunch Trump ally, has hinted at discomfort with the current policy.
Asked on Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures whether he supported Trump’s decision to waive the sanctions, Johnson said: “Congress voted on this decisively.” He said he was in talks with Republican members of the foreign affairs and intelligence committees.
“We understand that Putin cannot be trusted,” Johnson said.
He said he had told White House officials: “We need to talk about it and I think carefully consider the unintended consequences that may ensue” from putting the new sanctions on hold.
The elections will decide whether Republicans keep their narrow majorities in the House and Senate, which could shape the outcome of legislative battles between the parties, and with Trump.
Trump is not on the ballot, but the vote is widely seen as a referendum on his presidency. Voters are worried about rising consumer prices and the war with Iran.