Cole on Sanctioning Adversaries: "This Bill Will Implement an Economic Onslaught Against Putin, His Cronies, and the Iranian Regime."
Washington, D.C. – Today, House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK) delivered remarks on the House Floor during debate on the Senate Amendment to H.R. 5334 - Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026.
Watch Chairman Cole's remarks here.
Read Chairman Cole's floor remarks as prepared below.
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I want to thank my good friend - and distinguished statesman in his own right - for yielding me the time.
"Mr. Speaker, Vladimir Putin is a tyrant and a war criminal, and we should be clear about what drives him.
"He fears freedom, so he attacks it.
"He obscures the truth, so he can peddle lies.
"He cannot build his power through accomplishment, so he takes it through bloodshed.
"And none of this is without purpose.
"Putin seeks to weaken the United States, fracture the West, and undermine democratic institutions. This isn’t rhetoric - it is reality, and one I have seen directly.
"I recently traveled to Europe on a bipartisan delegation visiting Ukraine, Moldova, our new allies and old friends Sweden and Finland, and also our historic allies like Great Britain and Denmark. What I witnessed only reinforced the truth: Putin is a despot waging an illegal and ongoing war against a sovereign nation. Indeed, one of the European leaders I spoke with said, 'Putin's attack on Ukraine is an attack on all of Europe,' and that is true.
"That demands more than just condemnation. It demands consequences.
"Today, the House will act to kneecap the Kremlin’s war machine and cripple the cash flow fueling its pursuit of imperial dominance. This bill will implement an economic onslaught against Putin, his cronies, and the Iranian regime.
"It sanctions major buyers of Russian energy, targets Russia’s leadership and financial institutions, closes sanctions loopholes, and strengthens President Trump’s leverage for peace.
"As Ukraine continues to bravely fight and Russia’s economy strains, this bill will further choke Putin’s ability to wage war.
"This Congress, alongside the White House and our NATO allies, will continue to make clear that with our help, a free people will defeat a despotic tyrant.
"I'm proud to support this bipartisan legislation and honor Senator Lindsey Graham’s longstanding legacy of steadfastly defending democracy and American values and interests.
"I thank you, Mr. Speaker, and with that, I yield back the balance of my time."
###
