The pressure campaign against Russia’s war economy just got more public. At the NATO summit on July 7, 2026, a bipartisan group of US lawmakers confronted Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent directly, pushing him to back stricter sanctions measures against Moscow and sign on to legislation that would significantly tighten the economic screws on Russia.
The face-off involved Representatives Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Don Bacon (R-NE), and Gregory Meeks (D-NY).
What lawmakers actually want
Fitzpatrick has been the leading voice behind the Peace Through Strength Against Russia Act, a bill that would impose tariffs of up to 500% on Russian imports.
The legislative pressure didn’t start at the NATO summit. As far back as March 2026, Bacon and Meeks sent a bipartisan letter to the Treasury Department asking pointed questions about what they characterized as relaxed enforcement of oil sanctions against Russia. A follow-up letter dated April 30, 2026 escalated the call, with a broader group of lawmakers demanding the re-imposition of sanctions that had been quietly paused.
