The Senate GOP's foreign policy hawks are praising President Trump today for his stunning shift on Ukraine.

• Why it matters: Trump's new position — that Ukraine can not only win but take back all its territory from Russia — is what old-school Republican lawmakers have been advocating for despite MAGA's isolationist influence.

💪 Key GOP congressional leaders on foreign policy were quick to back up the president's new confidence in Ukraine.

• Senate Intelligence Chair Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) told us: "President Trump's strong speech and post today show why he's the peace-through-strength president."
• Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) wrote on X that "Trump is correct in assessing that the Russian economy is under stress and this will only get worse if we make buying cheap Russian oil and gas toxic for those who choose that path."
• Senate Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) posted: "President Trump and I believe Ukraine can win – a fact President Biden avoided saying for years. It is time to ramp up pressure on Putin to end this senseless bloodshed."

Between the lines: Congressional leaders have been waiting for the green light from the White House to move on a broadly bipartisan sanctions package.

• The bill would hit Russia with economic sanctions if Putin refuses to negotiate with Ukraine and would also set a 500% tariff on goods imported from countries that buy Russian oil.
• Trump has signaled he will impose new sanctions on Russia only after NATO countries do so, as well as stop buying Russian oil. He also suggested European nations impose tariffs on China.
• A bipartisan group of senators has also been pushing a new bill that would label Russia a state sponsor of terrorism over kidnapped Ukrainian children.

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— Stef Kight

A tiny group of stubborn House Republicans is poised to force an embarrassing vote for the Trump White House.

• Rep. Thomas Massie's (R-Ky.) Epstein files discharge petition can sew up its 218th signature tonight in a special election in Arizona.

Why it matters: For House Speaker Mike Johnson, it's a tough reminder of the limits of his power. For Trump, it's a rare case in which GOP lawmakers openly defy his sustained pressure.

🥊 Massie is pitching a select group of his GOP colleagues to sign on to his petition that would force a vote on releasing the files associated with the investigation into the late Jeffrey Epstein.

• "Don't let it be a Democrat who's the 218th signature. Let it be a Republican. That would be good for us to signal we want transparency," Massie told us.
• But Adelita Grijalva is widely expected to win the race today to replace her late father, Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), in Arizona's 7th District.
• She plans to sign the discharge petition if elected, a spokesperson told us.

Zoom in: Johnson has urged his conference to stay clear of the petition, saying that Oversight's probe will ultimately yield more information.

• But GOP Reps. Nancy Mace (S.C.), Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.) and Lauren Boebert (Colo.) have kept their names on the petition.
• "They're solid. They're not moving," Massie told us before recess about his co-signers.

Between the lines: Johnson has tucked language in party-line procedural measures to kill discharge petitions.

• He faced blowback when he employed the tactic to quash a proxy voting discharge petition in April, but he used the ensuing stalemate to negotiate a quiet end to the issue.
• House Rules Committee Chair Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) told reporters this month her panel would not block a floor vote on the petition.

What's next: If Adelita Grijalava is elected, it is expected she would be sworn in when Congress returns from recess in early October.

• That would tee up a floor vote on releasing the files in mid-October.

— Kate Santaliz

Democratic leaders are crying foul — and calling Trump chicken — for canceling a meeting with them on avoiding a government shutdown.

• Why it matters: Leaders Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries want to increase the pressure on Trump and persuade the public that any potential shutdown is his fault.

🎤 "Today seems to be tantrum day for Donald Trump," Schumer said at a press conference in New York.

• "Mr. President: Do your job. Stop ranting. Stop these long diatribes that mean nothing to anyone."

👀 "Trump Always Chickens Out," Jeffries posted on X, reviving the "TACO" joke that Trump doesn't seem to find too funny.

• "The statement that Donald Trump issued today was unhinged," Jeffries said at a press conference.

The bottom line: The Trump-Schumer-Jeffries-Thune-Johnson brinkmanship has now extended to meetings.