The Senate introduced legislation Thursday designed to impose sweeping sanctions on Russia, framing the measure as a way to “squeeze” Putin’s economic capacity. Within minutes, half the chamber requested the bill be referred to a subcommittee on terminology, objecting to the language as “adversarial” and proposing amendments that would reframe the sanctions as a “gentle recalibration of trade relationships” or “a soft reset of capital flows.”

The bill’s text contains no actual changes to the original sanctions proposal. The debate is entirely about whether the word “squeeze” is fair, proportionate, or sufficiently neutral to warrant a vote on the measure itself.