White House officials say the legislation would handcuff the president by depriving him of the power to unilaterally ease or lift the sanctions if he sees fit. They are insisting on removing language that gives Congress the ability to block such action.

On Capitol Hill, however, Republicans chafe at any suggestion that they have gone soft on Russia, and blame procedural snags on Democrats while offering a series of justifications for why the bill is problematic.

Several Republicans have been compelled to insist that they remain the hawks they have always been. “You know me on this issue,” Speaker Paul D. Ryan told reporters on Wednesday. “I’m a Russia hawk.”

But still, the legislation languishes in the House, weeks after it passed in the Senate, 98 to 2.

The delay is an odd turn for a topic that engenders rare bipartisan support in Congress, where many lawmakers are eager to take harsh action against President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia. In the interim, an array of business interests — including energy companies, defense contractors and financial players — have sensed an opening to air their displeasure with a measure they fear could harm their profits.

“There seems to be a growing private-sector coalition developing to express their concerns, which we’re sensitive to,” said Marc T. Short, the White House legislative affairs chief. “Our primary concern is that we believe that the executive branch has foreign policy responsibility, and when you delegate to 535 members of Congress, you will not be acting as efficiently as you could.”