It's not often these days on Capitol Hill that Democrats are lining up to co-sponsor bills with Republicans.
But lawmakers say the stakes with Russia go well beyond partisan disputes. Now, a broad coalition of members have joined forces to slap the country with aggressive sanctions and believe the souring relationship between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin has created a new opening.
"We need to push forward with our bill," said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., on his way to Senate votes recently. "Our bill already has been instrumental in shifting attitudes in the White House."
A bipartisan group of more than 160 members of Congress has signed onto the Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025 in a bid to force Russia to the negotiating table for peace talks or relegate it as a trading island, further isolating the country from the world.
The timing also coincides with new coordination between the U.S. and NATO to increase military aid to Ukraine.
In the Senate, Blumenthal is part of a bipartisan group of lawmakers pushing for new penalties on Russia to end the war with Ukraine. He and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., are leading the push for new sanctions in their chamber.
If approved, the bill would greenlight aggressive tariffs on Russian goods and their trading partners. It would also bolster efforts to freeze assets of top officials and their allies.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., was poised last week to put the bill on the floor. But since Trump announced his plans to force Putin's hand, he said he'll wait for Trump's go-ahead first. The president threatened "very severe tariffs" earlier this week if the Kremlin fails to reach a ceasefire deal with Ukraine.
In all, 84 senators have already signed on as co-sponsors to the bill. That includes Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who says passage can't come soon enough.
"I hope that will be brought to the Senate floor as soon as possible," she told NPR outside the Senate chamber recently.
Senators are in a rush. They argue the moment presents a perfect storm of political pressure that could thwart Russia's escalation of the war.
Their counterparts in the House agree, where there are 87 co-sponsors.
That includes retiring Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb.
"The Russians keep pounding Ukraine and we need to be fast and aggressive to stop what's going on," Bacon told NPR after a recent series of House votes.
Members filed the legislation months ago, and it sat idle until Trump gave it a boost this month. He said he's frustrated with Putin for dragging his feet on a ceasefire deal.
On Monday, Trump said Putin has a 50-day deadline before enacting stiff economic penalties that include 100% tariffs.
"They're biting, they're very significant and they're going to be very bad for the countries involved," Trump told reporters before boarding Air Force One.
The Sanctioning Russia Act takes those proposed penalties even further, raising tariffs to 500% percent.
For now, Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., are sticking with their pause to let Trump take the lead.
"We're going to coordinate with the White House on it. We're doing this in a one team approach," Johnson told NPR on his way to his office recently. "And so we're not going to get in front of the White House on that. We're going to trust the State Department and the commander-in-chief to get that done. So we'll see how that works out."
But some sponsors of the plan, like Bacon, worry Putin could take advantage of the 50-day pause and do more damage.
"There's not a lot of time to waste," he said.
Bacon argues Congress is an independent branch of government and should move forward. It's part of an ongoing debate of Congress ceding its power to the president.
However, Bacon says while the House and Senate are on the same page to seek penalties on Russia, they also need to help Trump stay on track.
"By doing those sanctions, we show the president there's overwhelming support to do it and I think he needs to know that — but he's always been a little reluctant on Russia," Bacon said. "Two out of three Americans support Ukraine. He needs to feel that pressure."
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