In 2022 He Said Every Moment Without 'Severe Consequences' for Putin Threatened the World. He Voted for the 2026 Sanctions Law That Let the President Waive Its Sanctions. On October 16, the President Did.

Foreign Policy Source: His statements (NYGOP release, Facebook, House floor, newsletter); House Clerk roll calls; P.L. 119-111; White House order of October 16, 2026 DOCUMENTED PATTERN

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Why this matters

When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Nick Langworthy, then chairman of the New York Republican Party, called it “a dark day for the democratic world” and blamed “Biden’s weakness.” He said “every moment that goes by without severe consequences is a threat to the entire globe.” In Congress he kept the theme: “American weakness invites aggression.”

On October 16, 2026, the President used a waiver in this year’s Russia sanctions law, which Rep. Langworthy voted for, to set aside the law’s new tariffs and nearly all of its other sanctions provisions. That week Ukraine also lost some access to U.S. satellite services, which anonymous officials told Reuters was ordered from inside the White House, an account the administration denies.

This entry lays out what Rep. Langworthy has said and how he has voted, and what we could find of his response this month.

What he has said

DateWhereHis words
Feb 24, 2022Statement as NYGOP chairman, also posted to his “Nick Langworthy” (campaign) Facebook page“This is a dark day for the democratic world… Biden’s weakness and ineptitude have led us to this moment… every moment that goes by without severe consequences is a threat to the entire globe.”
Feb 22, 2023His “Nick Langworthy” (campaign) Facebook page“This is what happens when America projects weakness on the world stage.”
Mar 15, 2023His official Facebook page“American weakness invites aggression… Russia & China are watching us, testing us and growing more emboldened by the day.”
Feb 14, 2024House floor (Congressional Record H603)“At a time when the President is pushing for more funding for Ukraine, it is disingenuous that he is turning around and forcing our allies to rely on Russia for natural gas.”
Apr 22, 2024His official newsletter“Putin is a thug and a butcher, and Ukraine is right to defend itself from Russian aggression … I would have supported legislation that purely provided munitions with direct oversight.”
Facebook post from the Nick Langworthy page with his February 24, 2022 statement as NYGOP chairman on Russia invading Ukraine, including the line every moment that goes by without severe consequences is a threat to the entire globe

His February 24, 2022 statement, as posted to his campaign Facebook page.

Post from the Congressman Nick Langworthy official Facebook page on March 15, 2023 reading American weakness invites aggression and saying Russia and China are watching us, testing us and growing more emboldened by the day

His March 15, 2023 post on the official page.

Among the releases on his House website through October 15, 2026, the most recent to mention Russia or Ukraine is from June 2024. None addresses his 2026 votes on the Ukraine Support Act or the sanctions law.

How he has voted

All from the House Clerk’s recorded votes.

DateMeasureHis voteResult
2023-202411 recorded votes on amendments to cut, bar or eliminate Ukraine aidAye on 7, No on 4All failed
Sep 28, 2023H.R. 5692, $300 million for Ukraine security assistanceNayPassed 311-117
Apr 2024Rules Committee vote to report the foreign-aid rule (record vote 218)Yea9-3
Apr 20, 2024H.R. 8035, the Ukraine security supplemental (about $60 billion)NayPassed 311-112-1; enacted as part of P.L. 118-50
Apr 20, 2024H.R. 8038, including the REPO Act on seized Russian assetsYeaPassed 360-58
2025-20263 recorded votes on amendments to cut or bar Ukraine aidNo on all 3All failed
Jun 4, 2026H.R. 2913, the Ukraine Support ActNayPassed 226-195; pending in the Senate
Sep 16, 2026H.R. 5334, the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026YeaPassed 262-159; signed Sept 18 (P.L. 119-111)

He also voted for resolutions condemning Russia’s downing of a U.S. drone and calling for the return of abducted Ukrainian children.

In plain language: in 2023 and 2024 he voted for 7 of 11 amendments to cut or bar Ukraine aid (one he opposed would have zeroed out the entire 2024 aid bill); in 2025 and 2026 he voted against all three. He voted against both large aid packages and the 2026 Ukraine Support Act, and for the 2026 sanctions law.

The waiver he voted for, and how it was used

What the law allows. Section 115 of the 2026 sanctions law says: “The President may, subject to subsection (b), waive the application of any sanctions provision with respect to a foreign person, any restriction with respect to a person, or any duty under this title.” Before doing so, the President must send Congress “a certification in writing that the issuance of the waiver is in the national interests of the United States” and a report explaining it. Unlike terminations under Section 117, a waiver under Section 115 is not subject to a congressional resolution of disapproval. (Most sanctions laws include some waiver authority.)

A chance to tighten it. At the Rules Committee meeting on the bill on September 14, 2026, a motion to allow a floor vote on Rep. Meeks’s amendment, which would have allowed waivers only when “vital to the national security of the United States,” was defeated 3 to 7. Rep. Langworthy, a member of the committee, is recorded as not voting on that motion or on any of the meeting’s four recorded votes.

How it was used. On October 16, 2026, the President signed an order invoking Section 115 to “waive the application of any duties provided for in sections 112 and 113 of the Graham Act,” including the law’s tariffs on Russian goods and on top buyers of Russian oil. It also waives nearly all of the law’s other sanctions provisions, including Section 117 itself. The order says the waivers remain in effect until the President or Secretary of State “determine that further action is appropriate.” It says the required certification and report were sent to Congress; they have not been made public. Sanctions under prior executive orders remain in place, though the order also waives the section of the law that required them to stay in place.

The Starshield reports. Around October 13-14, Ukrainian forces lost some speed and access on U.S.-provided satellite service. Most reports describe it as Starshield, the military version of Starlink; Secretary of State Rubio said Ukraine does not have Starshield and the slowdown was Starlink. Reuters reported, citing two U.S. officials and a Western official speaking anonymously, that the order to limit it “came from inside the White House.” A senior U.S. official told Reuters “No such request was ever made by the president,” and Rubio called the account “categorically false.” The Hill reported that access to “Starshield-provided data was quickly restored Wednesday” (October 14); President Zelensky said on October 19 that speeds were still capped at some points along the front line. These are reports, not established facts.

Who has asked questions. Four Republican senators, Susan Collins, John Cornyn, Lisa Murkowski and Thom Tillis, joined Democrats in asking the Pentagon’s inspector general to investigate whether officials “directed” or “authorized” the changes, The Hill reported on October 16.

Republicans who spoke against the waiver. Within a day of the order, Republicans in both chambers publicly disagreed with it, according to NBC News (with Sens. Cornyn and Tillis also reported by ABC News):

WhoWhat they said
Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.)Said on Fox News that he does not support the decision, calling Putin “a vile dictator and thug”
Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.)“the president is prolonging the war, not ending it” (on X)
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.)“Beyond irresponsible… What part of enforcing a law passed 86-11 by the Senate does the President and his advisors not understand?” (on X)
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas)“Lindsey would be appalled”
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas)Said on Fox News the decision “was a mistake”
Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska)Said in a Fox News interview that he does not agree with waiving the sanctions

Rep. Lawler, like Rep. Langworthy, is a New York Republican in the House.

What we found from him. As of October 19, we found no statement from Rep. Langworthy on the waiver or the Starshield reports in his House press releases (through October 15), his most recent posts on his official X account, or his official (“Congressman Nick Langworthy”) and campaign (“Nick Langworthy”) Facebook pages, checked October 19. We did not review radio or TV interviews.

Update, October 19, 2026: added the Republican reactions above, from NBC News and ABC News.

Where the public is

An Economist/YouGov poll taken April 17-20, 2026 found 62 percent of Americans sympathize more with Ukraine and 2 percent with Russia. A YouGov survey on October 14, 2026, two days before the waiver, found 57 percent sympathize more with Ukraine and 57 percent support existing sanctions on Russian oil exports. Asked about the administration’s October 9 suspension of sanctions on Russian diesel, 40 percent opposed it and 33 percent supported it.

The fair reading, at full strength

  • He has explained his aid votes. In April 2024 he said he opposed the $60 billion bill because it included $7.85 billion for Ukrainian government salaries and pensions and a $9.85 billion loan the President could forgive, among other reasons, and that he would have supported a munitions-only bill with oversight.
  • He voted for tough sanctions. He voted for the 2026 sanctions law, and in November 2025 he cosponsored a Russia sanctions bill (H.R. 2548) whose only waiver, as introduced, was a one-time tariff waiver of up to 180 days (though its sanctions took effect only after a presidential determination).
  • The 2022 statement came before he was in Congress, as a party chairman criticizing a president of the other party.
  • Silence is not a vote. Members do not comment on every action, and he may have addressed it in an interview we did not review.
  • The Starshield accounts are disputed and come from anonymous sources.

What the record shows is a pattern in his public voice: repeated, sharp criticism of “weakness” toward Russia from 2022 through 2024, then no press release on Russia or Ukraine since June 2024, including on his own 2026 votes on Ukraine aid and sanctions, and no public response we could find when the administration waived the sanctions he voted for, while Republican colleagues in both chambers, including a fellow New York Republican, spoke against it.

Questions this raises

  1. The law requires the President to send Congress a written certification and a report explaining the waiver. Has Rep. Langworthy read them, and will he ask for them to be made public?
  2. In 2022 he said every moment without severe consequences was “a threat to the entire globe.” Does he consider the October 16 waiver consistent with that?
  3. He recorded no votes at the September 14 Rules Committee meeting on the bill. Where does he stand on narrowing the waiver?
  4. Will he join the four Republican senators in asking for an inspector general review of the Starshield restrictions?

Sources

Note: This entry documents publicly available information from the House Clerk, the Government Publishing Office, the White House, Rep. Langworthy’s own statements and published reporting. It makes no claim about motive. Corrections with sources are welcome at [email protected].

Last updated: October 19, 2026