House lawmaker urges swift passage of Nunn's Peace Act, broader sanctions on Russian energy

A lawmaker on the House floor urged Congress to move immediately to tighten sanctions on Russia and block imports of Russian oil and gas, saying diplomatic engagement alone has failed to check Moscow's actions in Ukraine.

"We will not support the immoral importation of Russian oil and gas," the lawmaker said, calling on the United States and its European allies to use sanctions and other economic statecraft to pressure purchasers of Russian energy.

The speech named Congressman Zach Nunn's Bipartisan Peace Act as a priority. The lawmaker said the bill, which he said "passed out of my committee, the Financial Service Committee, by a vote of 53-1," would impose secondary sanctions aimed at reducing Russian energy revenues, which he estimated at about $200 billion per year. "This proposal would finally kneecap Russian energy revenues," he said.

The lawmaker also urged Congress to consider parallel measures in the Senate, citing legislation offered by Sen. Lindsey Graham and a House companion by Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick. He called on the President and G-7 partners to implement what he referred to as the Repo Act, describing it as a 2024 law designed to increase pressure on Russian sovereign assets held abroad.

In addition to sanctions, the lawmaker asked Congress to authorize funding for the U.S. Geological Survey to review Soviet-era geological surveys in Ukraine, including contested areas in the Donbas and regions under Ukrainian control, to provide an updated assessment of strategic minerals that could support Ukraine's economic development.

Throughout the remarks the speaker framed the measures as necessary to counter what he described as a pattern of coercion and violence by the Russian government, citing past conflicts in Chechnya and Georgia and the 2014 seizure of Crimea. He warned that failure to act would leave lawmakers with regrets about missed opportunities to constrain Russia.

The lawmaker's floor remarks combined policy prescriptions (sanctions and implementation of existing laws), legislative advocacy (backing specific bills and sponsors), and a request for research funding to inform future economic assistance. The speech did not record any formal House vote on the measures that day; the 53-1 figure referred to a committee vote cited by the speaker.