Democrats attach $15 billion Ukraine aid amendment to Graham sanctions bill

The announcement was published on Sept. 16 on the website of the House Rules Committee.

Under the amendment, the funds would be used to purchase defense articles, defense services, and design and construction services for Ukraine. The funding would be in addition to money already available under the Arms Export Control Act.

Democratic Reps. Gregory Meeks, Bill Keating, Mike Quigley, and Jamie Raskin introduced Amendment No. 5 to H.R. 5334, the “Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026.”

The Rules Committee considered amendments to the bill on Sept. 14. Three Democratic proposals were brought to separate votes, and all were rejected, 3-7. They included amendments to repeal broad secondary tariffs, change the standard for presidential waivers of sanctions and establish the list of countries subject to the tariff provisions.

However, the amendment providing $15 billion for Ukraine was not given a separate committee vote. As a result, the committee approved a procedural motion on the sanctions bill by a 7-3 vote.

The House was scheduled to vote on H.R. 5334 on Sept. 16, before Speaker Mike Johnson abruptly cancelled all scheduled votes until after the midterm elections in early November.

The Senate approved the bill in August 2026. If the House passes it, the bill will be sent to the White House, where President Donald Trump is expected to sign it.