The Hill: Senate Majority Leader Thune Blocks Push to Advance MEGOBARI Act

Senate Majority Leader John Thune speaks next to House Speaker Mike Johnson during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, October 3, 2025; Photo: Reuters

U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) blocked the advance of the MEGOBARI Act, which foresees sanctions on Georgian officials, by turning down a request from House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) in November to include it in the annual defense bill, The Hill reported on December 3, citing two congressional aides.

The Hill said this marked the “second time in three months” that Thune had blocked a bipartisan effort to add the legislation to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

The MEGOBARI Act is a bipartisan bill in the U.S. Congress calling for support for Georgia’s democratic and Euro-Atlantic aspirations and sanctions on Georgian Dream officials accused of corruption, anti-democratic actions, and the country’s rapprochement with U.S. adversaries, including Russia, China, and Iran.

The bill passed the House of Representatives in May with strong bipartisan support but has since stalled in the Senate.

The Hill also said Johnson’s intervention came as a surprise.

“Speaker Johnson’s lobbying was welcome but seemed to come out of nowhere,” one congressional aide told the outlet. “We thought the bill was dead after Thune shot it down in September. We tried hard to get the bill into the NDAA at the last minute at the Speaker’s request, but couldn’t overcome Thune’s opposition.”

Thune held firm opposition to advancing the bill. “He just said flat no,” another aide told The Hill.

Neither Thune’s nor Johnson’s offices responded to The Hill’s requests for comment.

In August, an earlier attempt to include the MEGOBARI Act in the NDAA was reportedly blocked by several senators, including Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin.

Civil.ge is clarifying future steps regarding the bill.

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