President Donald Trump said on Wednesday the Kennedy Center could “close” or be “ripped down” if his administration doesn’t receive recognition on the performing arts center as tensions over his name being removed mount.”I think that the Trump administration should certainly have recognition. Because frankly, if we don’t do that, it’s going to close. It’ll end up being ripped down,” the president told reporters on the tarmac in North Carolina.Trump claimed that the Kennedy Center was a “mess” without his intervention and “has lost 10s of millions of dollars, even hundreds of millions of dollars,” comparing it to New York’s Carnegie Hall.Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images – PHOTO: President Trump Travels To North CarolinaKennedy niece says Trump holding Kennedy Center ‘hostage’ amid battle over nameThe president’s comments come after a federal judge on Tuesday blocked the performing arts center’s board from adding a tribute to Trump on the building or site. He responded by saying he wouldn’t spend congressionally approved funding for the center’s renovation unless the building also bears his name.Congress last year appropriated $257 million for the renovation.About an hour after the judge’s ruling Tuesday, the board, which is controlled by Trump appointees, voted to close the center immediately for renovations, citing safety concerns after a piece of plaster from the ceiling of the grand foyer fell during a heavy rainstorm earlier this month.Alex Brandon/AP Photo – PHOTO: The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is seen from the air, Aug. 30, 2026, in Washington. ‘Linguistic gymnastics’: Judge blocks adding Trump tribute to Kennedy Center in scathing rulingOn Tuesday, Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, said Trump “threw a tantrum because he lost in court” when discussing the Kennedy Center meeting.“He wasn’t pleased with it. He was very explicit with his words, and I responded equally as explicit. He is in contempt of court for what he’s doing now in trying to just simply go over and close the Kennedy Center and to have people leave the center,” Beatty told reporters on the House steps Tuesday night.Beatty said “there was a heated debate” during the meeting.On Wednesday, fencing was seen being installed around the main building’s entrance.This article originally appeared on ABC News at https://abcnews.com/Politics/trump-kennedy-center-ripped-recognition/story?id=136513298

Clipped From Video European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed Wednesday that Canada become the bloc’s first “associate member,” provoking a fresh tariff threat from US President Donald Trump. The move is aimed at shoring up their economies in the face of increasing trade tensions with the United States. But Trump said Wednesday the US could put “heavy tariffs” on the European Union if he considers any new agreement with Canada to be a “hostile act.” “If it’s a good intention, that’s fine. If it’s a bad intention, we’ll put very heavy tariffs on Europe, which is a possibility,” he told reporters. Canada is currently locked in a trade war with the US, its largest trading partner, adding urgency to efforts to get closer to the the European Union. Trump has also repeatedly called for Canada to become the 51st US state, an idea firmly rejected by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. Carney was a guest at von der Leyen’s state of the union address in Strasbourg, France, where she remarked that “in this new world we must urgently reimagine our partnerships and build global coalitions for our resilience and democracies.” “In short, we want to bring the relationship with Canada to the highest level possible,” she said. Carney, meanwhile, is keen to foster a much closer relationship with the EU, saying Sunday that Canada was pursuing a “unique alliance with the European Union.” He made headlines with a speech at Davos, Switzerland, earlier this year stressing the need for “middle powers” to act in concert amid a “rupture in the world order.” Despite the backdrop, von der Leyen stressed Wednesday that the decision to join forces with Canada was “not a partnership against anyone else, but for our common strength,” though the EU has also been on the receiving end of Trump’s tariffs on allies over the past year. It is unclear what elements associate membership might entail — or whether all EU member countries are supportive of the plan. Here’s what we know. Why Canada can’t be a full EU member Canada, a member of the British commonwealth, shares deep cultural and historical ties to Europe and resembles European models when it comes to its parliamentary democracy, universal health care and social welfare, among other things. Canada even shares a small land border with Europe, through Denmark on Hans Island, a small landmass off northwestern Greenland. The French territory of Saint Pierre and Miquelon also sits about 20 kilometers (12 miles) off the coast of Newfoundland. But while Canada would likely satisfy the political, economic and legal standards for joining the bloc, there is one obvious barrier: It is not geographically in Europe. To get into the EU, a country must follow a strict, multi-stage process called accession, and its candidacy must be unanimously approved by all 27 member states. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney during a Bloomberg Television interview in Toronto on September 14. – Cole Burston/Bloomberg/Getty Images There is a queue of countries waiting to get in, with nine currently recognized as candidates for EU membership. Other European countries, such as Norway and Switzerland, are not formal EU members but partner with the bloc on trade and open borders. “Associate membership does not exist,” said Tinatin Akhvlediani, head of EU enlargement at the Center for European Policy Studies, a Brussels-based think tank. Countries including Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia have “association agreements” in place with the EU, but these entail alignment with the bloc’s laws, something Canada is unlikely to want, she told CNN. What would a ‘unique alliance’ look like? According to a Wall Street Journal report at the weekend, among the things European and Canadian officials have discussed: reducing trade barriers; laying underwater cables linking Europe and Canada; redirecting pipelines to grant Europe access to Canadian gas; building new AI and tech infrastructure; and even granting Canadians the right to live and work in Europe visa-free. Under these terms, Canada would have a relationship with the EU that is unprecedented for a country outside Europe. The EU’s ambassador to Canada told the Canadian Press last week that the partnership would be unlike anything that currently exists, without giving specifics. In her speech, von der Leyen highlighted plans to cooperate on intelligent manufacturing, technology, defense, cyber security and artificial intelligence. Canada and the European Union would also work on energy, critical minerals and batteries, she noted. The allies already share a substantial trading relationship, which has grown steadily since large parts of the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement came into force in 2017. However, the deal still needs to be ratified by 10 EU member states, including France, Italy and Poland. Bilateral trade in goods and services reached €130.8 billion ($151 billion) last year, according to the European Commission, up more than 80% over the past decade. Major EU exports to Canada include cars, machinery and pharmaceuticals. Canadian exports to Europe include crude oil, fertilizer, critical minerals and base metals. What have European leaders said? Carney, a former governor of the Bank of England, has strong ties in Europe from his banking days and has cultivated his relationships with like-minded European leaders since becoming prime minister in March 2025. In Paris last year, during his first official foreign trip as leader — which was notably not to the US in a break from modern tradition — Carney described Canada as “the most European of non-European countries.” Since then, several European Union countries have floated the idea of Canada joining the bloc, including Finnish President Alexander Stubb, who once called the possibility “a marriage made in heaven.” Stubb and Carney reportedly text each other daily and are known for squeezing in a jog or a game of ice hockey between meetings on official trips. “Wouldn’t it be lovely if Canada was the 28th state of the European Union rather than the 51st state of the United States?” asked Stubb, according to the Journal. French President Emmanuel Macron (R) gestures as he greets Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney during the G7 summit, in Evian, France, on June 15. – Ludovic Marin/AFP/Getty Images In March, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot raised the idea of Ottawa joining the EU, telling a conference that “maybe Canada at some point” will sign up, according to the Canadian Press. That’s not to say all EU leaders would support Canada’s bid, and approval would require a unanimity that the bloc has often struggled to achieve. The German government has already questioned whether the term “associate member” is even appropriate, although a spokesperson said it was open to discussing new partnership models with Canada, Reuters reported. Carney received a standing ovation from lawmakers when he attended von der Leyen’s speech and is due to address European lawmakers Thursday. What’s the reception been in Canada? Canadians are largely in favor of strengthening relations with the EU, though support for full membership remains split, according to recent data. A survey conducted earlier this month by Canadian polling firm Abacus Data found about 80% of Canadians said Canada should deepen cooperation with the EU on foreign policy, defense and economic priorities — a six-point increase from when the question was last asked in February. A further 56% of those surveyed said Canada has more in common with EU countries than with the US, according to the survey. Nearly half (49%) said they would support Canada joining the EU, with support higher among centrist and left-leaning voters. However, some in Canada are skeptical of cozying up to the EU, fearing it could further isolate Canada from its southern neighbor and largest trading partner, while others are concerned about a loss of sovereignty. Pierre Poilievre, the leader of Canada’s opposition Conservative Party, called Carney’s effort to deepen ties with the EU “out of touch.” “We will NEVER be the 51st U.S. state. And we will NEVER be the 28th EU state,” he wrote this week in a post on X. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.comThis article originally appeared on CNN at https://www.cnn.com/2026/09/15/americas/canada-mark-carney-eu-trump-hnk

President Trump reacted to Wednesday’s Fed rate hike, saying “Interest Rates in the United States should be 1%, or less” and acknowledging he discussed with Kevin Warsh the Fed chair’s plans for how to vote ahead of time.”I talked to Kevin and I said, ‘you might as well vote with the board because it’s not going to matter,’” Trump told reporters Wednesday evening.The Federal Open Market Committee voted unanimously Wednesday to raise rates by 25 basis points, its first hike in three years and the first under Warsh.The president, who has spent more than a year calling for lower rates, first posted on Truth Social that rates should be dropping and that the trade deficit was a reason to “LOWER THE INTEREST RATES FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND FAST!” days after he threatened to stop trading with countries that have a trade deficit unless the Fed cuts rates.Later Wednesday, when he was asked by reporters if he still has confidence in Warsh, Trump said he did, but said “he’s got a very tough board.” He called the FOMC “a bunch of politicians.”In a press conference Wednesday afternoon, Warsh demurred on the question of presidential involvement in the Fed decision, telling reporters, “I’ve got nothing for you on a discussion with the president.”Trump’s suggestion of his own role in the voting process came after the White House tried to telegraph a hands-off approach to the Federal Reserve in recent weeks, but saw Trump and his team quickly hit back at the decision repeatedly. Senior Deputy press secretary Kush Desai also reacted to the move in an appearance on Fox News, calling it a “rather unfortunate decision by the Federal Reserve” that was “not backed by a particularly compelling economic case.”US President Donald Trump speaks to the press upon arrival at Charlotte Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, North Carolina, on September 16, 2026. Trump is campaigning for Republican US Senate candidate Michael Whatley. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images)BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI via Getty ImagesTrump has now repeatedly praised Warsh personally while also calling the FOMC “political” for not lowering rates. Just this past weekend, the president also again stated his view that the US should have the lowest interest rates in the world.Warsh voted along with all of his colleagues on the committee to raise rates but didn’t offer a projection about future rate hikes and dodged questions about politics and the president multiple times.He called independence of the central bank a “two-way street.” “Part of the independence of the Federal Reserve is we stay in our lane…we’ll let people that do trade policy and fiscal policy stay in their lane too,” he said.The central bank also signaled that one more rate hike is likely before the end of the year, an acknowledgment that the Fed needed to step in to counteract price pressures. Read more: How the Fed rate decision affects your bank accounts, loans, credit cards, and investmentsDemocrats, meanwhile, were quick to tie the interest rate hike and associated costs to Trump. Rep. Brendan Boyle, the ranking member of the House Budget Committee, said the increase “is further proof that Donald Trump and Republicans have failed on the economy” and that the president should look in the mirror.Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts released a statement even before the decision was official, claiming that if it wasn’t for Trump’s policies, “the Fed might actually be talking about bringing down rates.” This story has been updated.Ben Werschkul is a Washington correspondent for Yahoo Finance.Click here for political news related to business and money policies that will shape tomorrow’s stock pricesRead the latest financial and business news from Yahoo FinanceThis article originally appeared on Yahoo Finance at https://finance.yahoo.com/economy/policy/article/trump-slams-the-fed-rate-hike-says-he-told-warsh-you-might-as-well-vote-with-the-board-205145796.html

The House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a bipartisan bill aimed at shielding Americans from increased electricity costs associated with data centers being built across the country. The Ratepayer Protection Act, which passed with an overwhelming 417-3 majority, “ensures American families are not left footing the bill for the grid upgrades and new energy generation required to operate large data centers,” Republican Rep. Gabe Evans, one of the bill’s sponsors, said ahead of the vote.The bill now moves to the Senate, where its prospects of passing are uncertain. The Ratepayer Protection Act is the first major piece of legislation taken up by Congress to address the growing public discontent over the mass buildout of data centers among the American public. Even if it passes, though, it won’t directly set the rates that data center operators pay for their electricity.Congress doesn’t have the power to compel utilities to set higher rates for the facilities. Only states have that authority. What the Ratepayer Protection Act would do is compel state utility regulators to consider adopting a federal standard under which large data centers would cover the extra costs of upgrades. The bill is comparable to a proclamation signed by President Trump earlier this year that established a similar voluntary pledge for tech companies. Trump has been a vocal advocate for building more data centers in the United States, recently warning communities that oppose them that they will end up “backwards and poor” if they block new data centers from being built. “If they want to be successful and rich, with far lower taxes and jobs all over the place, let Data Reign,” he wrote on Truth Social in late August. “The good news is that there are plenty of other places that want them. If we kill the Golden Goose, you will only have yourselves to blame.”Trump’s full-throated data center advocacy is at odds with the views of most Americans. Recent polls show that a strong majority of those surveyed oppose a new data center being built in their communities, while only a small percentage strongly support the idea. Even Republican voters are largely against data centers.  A few years ago, the typical American hardly ever thought about data centers. But they’ve become a major political issue seemingly overnight. We’ve seen local lawmakers lose their jobs over their support for new data center projects. Candidates in some of the most pivotal races in this year’s midterms have angled to position themselves as the voice of the people’s opposition to the data center boom. New York recently became the first state to ban new data center projects. Similar proposals have been put forward in more than a dozen other states. All this is happening at a time when the president and the country’s biggest tech companies are saying that the U.S. needs to dramatically increase its data capacity in order to build the economy of the future. With that in mind, here are answers to some of the most important questions you may have about data centers, including why we need them, why thousands more are being built and what it means for local communities when a new data center comes to town.  What are data centers?Data centers are often called the “physical infrastructure of the internet.” They are facilities where the servers, networking equipment and storage systems that allow digital data to be processed, stored and transmitted are housed. Why do we need data centers?At a fundamental level, the modern internet simply cannot exist without them. Every email, social media post, video or news article that you can find online runs through a data center. How many data centers are there?There are an estimated 3,000 data centers currently operating across the United States, according to a Pew analysis of industry data. The facilities aren’t evenly distributed, though. Virginia has nearly 400, while data centers in some states number in the single digits. How many more are being built?There are roughly 1,500 new data centers in “various stages of development” nationwide, according to Pew. Other estimates suggest there could be as many as 3,000. But that doesn’t just mean more of the same types of facilities that already exist are being built. Some of the proposed data centers are much larger than anything that’s currently in operation. According to the power market tracking company Clearview, the biggest active data center in the U.S. has a power capacity of 750 megawatts. A single data center that’s been proposed in Utah would have an estimated capacity of nearly 9,000 megawatts. Data centers aren’t just getting bigger. They’re also being built in new places. Right now, the vast majority of active data centers are in urban areas, according to Pew. More than two-thirds of the incoming data centers will be in rural areas. Why do we need so many more data centers?The more we ask the internet to do, the more computing power is needed to meet our demands. Over the course of the past two decades, the U.S. has had to steadily build more and more data centers as so many aspects of our lives have moved online. But the recent, dramatic increase in data center projects isn’t being driven by the spread of social media, the rise of streaming or the remote work revolution. It’s being driven by AI.AI works by processing huge data sets to learn, adapt and make predictions in a way that typical algorithms can’t. That takes a lot of processing power. The kind of processing power that America’s data infrastructure simply won’t be able to handle as AI becomes more complex and widespread, without a massive increase in data center capacity. Tech companies are pouring money into building more data centers to support their lofty AI ambitions, which many see as a world-changing technology that will be at the core of everything we do. One estimate found that it could take $6.7 trillion in global data center investment before the end of the decade to create the scale of computing power that’s needed to support AI’s continued growth. How have opinions on data centers changed?Data centers have been around in some form as long as computers have. Until recently, most Americans had no real strong opinion about them, if they were aware of their existence at all. But public opinion has shifted dramatically against data centers over a remarkably short period of time, as people across the country are being faced with the prospect of having one built in their back communities. The share of Americans who say they would strongly oppose a new data center near where they live more than doubled, growing from 24% to 55%, in the span of just nine months, according to a recent poll by Heatmap. Other surveys have shown that a strong majority of Americans do not want data centers built in their communities. Anti-data center sentiment has been especially intense in areas where they’re being built. There’s a growing list of local lawmakers who have been voted out after approving the construction of new facilities. Data centers have rapidly become a core issue in key congressional races across the country. A recent study tracked the creation of hundreds of new local Facebook groups with more than 400,000 total members dedicated to bringing residents together in opposition to proposed data centers in their communities.Why have data centers become so controversial?There are many reasons people cite for why they oppose data centers. The most prominent concerns center around the amount of resources the facilities consume. Data centers use up a ton of electricity and need a lot of water to keep all those servers from overheating. New facilities are also massive construction projects, which bring all sorts of disruptions to communities while they’re being built — road closures, construction noises, huge trucks clogging up streets and more. Many data center critics say it’s just unpleasant to live near one. One of the main complaints is noise, which some residents have described as like having a “freight train” constantly running past their homes. Researchers have found that large data centers can have a “heat island” effect that makes the surrounding area noticeably hotter. Demonstrators wave signs during a nationwide protest against AI data center expansion in Imperial, California on July 18, 2026.SANDY HUFFAKER via Getty ImagesBroader skepticism of AI is also a big factor. Tech companies have argued that the U.S. needs to build all of these new data centers to support their vision of an AI-powered future. But more Americans say they expect AI to have a negative impact on society when you account for how it will affect the labor market, education, environment and our personal relationships. It’s a tough sell to ask people to tolerate the downsides of having a data center in their community when they don’t want the products that the facilities are being built to support.Finally, there’s the phenomenon commonly known as NIMBYism. The acronym, which stands for Not In My Back Yard, is often used derisively to describe people who say they support the construction of things our society needs — affordable housing, power plants, prisons and public transportation — but refuse to accept those things being built where they live. In the eyes of some proponents of data centers, local opposition to building them is a classic case of NIMBYism in action. How much power do they use?A lot. In 2024, data centers accounted for 4% of all power consumption in the United States. With so many facilities being built, the total amount of electricity data centers consume is projected to more than double by 2030, according to estimates from the International Energy Agency. A separate study estimated that data centers could account for up to 12% of all power usage in the U.S. by 2028. A typical newly built “hyperscale” facility can require as much power as 100,000 households. The largest data centers can consume more energy than entire major cities, and demand is higher in places with the most facilities. In Virginia, for example, data centers consumed 40% of the state’s electricity in 2024, according to a Bloomberg analysis. Utility companies have also spent billions building out transmission lines and other infrastructure to connect data centers to the local power grid and building new power plants to meet increased demand. How do they affect utility rates?It’s important to note that all of the tangible information we have on data centers and energy prices is based on what’s already been built. At this point, experts can only estimate what will happen when all of those new proposed facilities eventually begin operating. That said, there’s already evidence that the data centers that are currently online have had an impact on electricity rates, thanks to a combination of higher operational costs for utilities and increased demand. Residential power rates have roughly doubled over the past 10 years. How much data centers are to blame for that increase is the source of significant debate. Some recent analyses have found that states with the most data centers have seen their energy rates climb at a faster rate than the national average. But another study suggested that their impact on electricity bills has been modest — at least so far.Some in the energy and tech industries even argue that data centers can actually lower energy prices. While there’s some evidence to support that claim in certain areas, most experts believe the large-scale buildout of data centers across the country will push prices higher in the long run. A variety of solutions have been proposed to keep that from happening, including forcing data center companies to pay for any new infrastructure or plants that utilities have to build to power them, charging the centers higher rates than typical consumers and even requiring data centers to have their own on-site power plants. An aerial view of the Stargate Oracle AI data center campus in Abilene, Texas.Brandon Bell via Getty ImagesHow much water do they consume?Data centers use water to keep the thousands of servers and other equipment they house from overheating. One estimate found that the typical non-hyperscale data center uses about 300,000 gallons of water per day, about as much as 1,000 U.S. households. Newer, larger facilities can use as much as 5 million gallons every day. In total, data centers used up an estimated 66 billion gallons of water in 2023, according to an analysis by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. That same study estimated that data center water demand could double by 2028.While that is a lot of water, it’s a relatively small share of the 117 trillion gallons the United States uses every year, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. There are also ways to significantly reduce the amount of water data centers use. Historically, most data centers relied on what’s known as an open-loop cooling system, in which water is brought in, then evaporated to cool the air around servers. While that’s the cheapest way to prevent servers from overheating, it’s also very inefficient. There are other, closed-loop approaches that allow facilities to reuse water, which can cut a data center’s water demand by up to 70%.More than half of all global data centers still rely on open-loop systems, but some of the biggest companies in the tech industry, including OpenAI, have said they plan to prioritize closed-loop facilities moving forward.  That change only addresses the water that data centers use directly. The facilities also impact water supplies in a larger way through their electricity consumption. The vast majority of power plants in the U.S. use water to keep their own systems from overheating. As a result, the extra strain that data centers put on electricity providers accounts for an additional 800 billion gallons of water consumed annually, according to Lawrence Berkeley Lab. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman sought to appease concerns about water usage this week, telling the Sources Podcast that data centers use no more water than an office building and that 38,000 ChatGPT queries use as much water as the production of one almond. It’s a claim that many experts feel is difficult to verify given the limited amount of public information made available by AI companies and the number of vairables at play when trying to acuurately analyze each data center’s water usage.How many jobs do they create?Like any major construction project, a new data center creates a lot of short-term jobs while it’s being built. But once it’s completed and operational, the facilities take a relatively small number of people to keep them running. The average data center creates between 100 and 200 permanent full-time jobs locally, according to a recent study by the Brookings Institution. Of course, data centers don’t only affect employment at the local level. The entire U.S. economy relies on the existence of infrastructure that allows us to consistently and reliably send information over the internet. At a very basic level, we need data centers. The questions of how many we need, where they should go and who should bear the costs are where the real debate lies. This article originally appeared on Yahoo Tech at https://tech.yahoo.com/general/article/the-house-just-passed-a-bipartisan-data-center-bill-what-the-ratepayer-protection-act-would–and-wouldnt–do-to-protect-consumers-from-rising-energy-costs-130000413.html

The House passed the sweeping Russia sanctions bill long championed by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham on Wednesday, sending the legislation to the White House for President Donald Trump’s signature after more than a year of congressional maneuvering.The 262 to 159 vote ends a nearly two-year lull in Ukraine assistance from Congress, which had not passed any major Ukraine efforts since a 2024 emergency aid package. The bill faced a number of obstacles on the path to the Resolute Desk, including significant opposition from some House Democrats who argued that the bill would give the White House too much tariff power.After weathering a number of storms to make it out of Capitol Hill, the legislation is all but guaranteed to get Trump’s signature.The long-anticipated legislation issues mandatory sanctions on Russia’s leadership and energy sector — as well as new sanctions on collaborators in Moscow’s defense industry and its so-called shadow fleet. Advocates of the bill, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, have argued it would give the White House necessary tools to squeeze Russia economically, curbing the flow of funds to Moscow’s war machine.But, to many Democrats’ dismay, the legislation also includes a 100% tariff on top buyers of Russian energy. Opponents of the bill have cautioned that the tariff provision would hand another cudgel for Trump to use against not only U.S. foes but also global allies — an action the White House has repeatedly taken since Trump returned to office.“We cannot grant more tariff power that we know he will abuse,” Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) said in comments on the House floor Wednesday.Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, argued that the tariffs would worsen the economic pain already felt by everyday Americans and that without a security assistance package or more air defense, they would not do enough to concretely help Ukraine.In comments on the House floor earlier Wednesday, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries outlined why he planned to withhold support for the measure.”The manner in which this bill has been written doesn’t require the president of the United States to impose sanctions on Russia,” Jeffries said. “In fact, there are so many loopholes written into the bill, I believe, that it’s very unlikely that the sanctions relief contemplated in the legislation will ever see the light of day.”That disagreement has caused a growing rift among Democrats in recent days. Fifty-eight House Democrats broke with Jeffries to vote yes on the measure.In a letter addressed to House Democrats, Senate Foreign Relations ranking member Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) urged her colleagues to pass the legislation, warning that failing to do so would send a dangerous message to both Russian leader Vladimir Putin and other international foes.“Congress’s failure to impose additional costs would send a dangerous signal,” Shaheen wrote. “The Kremlin is watching. Kyiv is watching. Our NATO allies are watching. So are Beijing, Tehran and Pyongyang.”This article originally appeared on Politico at https://www.politico.com/news/2026/09/16/house-russia-sanctions-bill-trump-01081210