Johnson surprised as Thune suggests Russian sanctions package will start in the House

House Speaker Mike Johnson this week expressed surprise after Senate Majority Leader John Thune suggested that a planned Russian sanctions package would begin in the lower chamber.

Thune, this week, suggested that the House would initiate the legislative process to expand existing sanctions on Russia amid efforts from the Trump administration to pressure Ukraine into accepting a peace agreement that makes major concessions to Moscow.

“I think what is more likely happens is the House originates that. It’s a revenue measure, and so it has to — you know, revenue measures originate in the House. If we had one available to us in the Senate, we could do it here," Thune told reporters.

But Johnson contradicted him, saying “[t]hat was not my understanding up until yesterday,” according to The Hill. “It is simpler and quicker to get it done if it comes from the Senate to the House with a large vote margin, which we expect."

The dust up comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected territorial concessions to Russia and has touted the support of European leaders for continuing the war.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent at Just the News. Follow him on X.