The German-Russian Chamber of Commerce said last week the pipeline was important for the energy security of Europe and called for retaliatory sanctions on the US if the bill passes. But US lawmakers have warned it would send billions of dollars to Moscow and vastly increase President Vladimir Putin's influence in Europe at a time of heightened tension. The National Defense Authorization Act, a $738 billion package for 2020 that includes the sanctions, now heads to the White House, where Trump is expected to sign it. The sanctions target pipe-laying vessels for Nord Stream 2 and TurkStream, a Russia-Turkey pipeline, and include asset freezes and revocation of US visas for the contractors. One major contractor that could be hit is Swiss-based Allseas, which has been hired by Russia's Gazprom to build the offshore section. The power of Gazprom and therefore the Russian state is at the center of concerns about the pipeline in the US and in eastern and central Europe.