Efforts to combat election meddling in the aftermath of the Mueller report are running into steep political headwinds on Capitol Hill.

Special counsel Robert Mueller Robert (Bob) MuellerCNN's Toobin warns McCabe is in 'perilous condition' with emboldened Trump CNN anchor rips Trump over Stone while evoking Clinton-Lynch tarmac meeting The Hill's 12:30 Report: New Hampshire fallout MORE’s sprawling 448-page report detailed Russia’s efforts to interfere in the 2016 election and sparked fresh calls for tougher sanctions against Moscow or new election security measures.

But any initial boost of momentum is now hitting roadblocks with top GOP senators and stalemated partisan standoffs, underscoring the uphill battle for a legislative push leading up to the 2020 election.

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“I think there’s a lot we can do without passing new legislation,” said Sen. John Cornyn John CornynThe Hill's Campaign Report: GOP set to ask SCOTUS to limit mail-in voting Liberal super PAC launches ads targeting vulnerable GOP senators over SCOTUS fight Senate GOP faces pivotal moment on pick for Supreme Court MORE (R-Texas), a member of GOP leadership and the Senate Intelligence Committee. “The House has taken more of an attitude of: Don’t let a crisis go to waste.”

Asked about the chances of passing sanctions or election security, Sen. John Thune John Randolph ThuneOvernight Defense: Stopgap spending measure awaits Senate vote | Trump nominates former Nunes aide for intelligence community watchdog | Trump extends ban on racial discrimination training to contractors, military Remote work poses state tax challenges Senate GOP sees early Supreme Court vote as political booster shot MORE (S.D.), the No. 2 Senate Republican, said, “We’ll see.”

“Some of our members are talking about more sanctions. We’ll see where it goes,” he said. “On the election security stuff … I think we feel confident based on the fact that our elections in this country are basically local, that … it ensures a certain amount of accountability.”

Lawmakers have raised concerns about Russia’s election meddling for years, but Mueller’s findings put the spotlight on what, if any, steps Congress will take in response.

The special counsel dedicated roughly 200 pages of his report to detailing Russia’s hacking attempts, social media activities and contacts with the Trump campaign, while noting that “the investigation did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government.”

“The Russian government interfered in the 2016 presidential election in sweeping and systematic fashion,” Mueller wrote.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Addison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellFEC flags McConnell campaign over suspected accounting errors Poll: 59 percent think president elected in November should name next Supreme Court justice Mark Kelly: Arizona Senate race winner should be sworn in 'promptly' MORE (R-Ky.) hasn’t weighed in on what action Congress might take, but signaled on Tuesday that he thought it was time for lawmakers to move on from the two-year investigation.

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“Having just gotten back from a couple weeks at home, I thought it was interesting that I didn’t get a single question about the Mueller report. Most Americans think it’s over. Time to move on,” McConnell said.

Part of the political hang-up on passing election security legislation, GOP senators say, is that the House passed a sweeping election and ethics reform bill, known as H.R. 1, that includes requirements for states to use paper ballots, sets up early voting requirements and makes Election Day a holiday for federal employees.

The bill passed the House in March but it’s dead on arrival in the Senate, where McConnell has blasted it as the “Democrat Politician Protection Act” and pledged that he will not bring it to the floor for a vote.

“Nothing’s going to pass unless it’s bipartisan. And the way that’s been approached, it’s been approached as a partisan matter,” Cornyn said, referring to the House bill.

Sens. James Lankford James Paul LankfordMcConnell works to lock down GOP votes for coronavirus bill Charities scramble to plug revenue holes during pandemic Warren calls for Postal Service board members to fire DeJoy or resign MORE (R-Oka.) and Amy Klobuchar Amy KlobucharSocial media platforms put muscle into National Voter Registration Day Battle lines drawn on precedent in Supreme Court fight Sunday shows - Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death dominates MORE (D-Minn.) have offered legislation, known as the Secure Elections Act, aimed at protecting election systems from cyberattacks.

Lankford said he’s waiting for feedback on the bill as they continue to draft potential changes to help it get through Congress. He noted that White House officials had warned during the previous Congress that they could oppose the bill if it didn’t “honor federalism” by the time it reached the Senate floor.

Lankford said that he and Klobuchar haven’t received any White House feedback this year.

“The Mueller investigation identified where the Russians were clearly coming after us,” Lankford said. “So I think the Mueller investigation reiterates again why this is important to be able to stay on our guard.”

But, he added, that the House election bill made it more difficult to win over GOP support and negotiate an agreement.

“The election security measures they have in H.R. 1 are not really what’s needed,” he said. “That’s actually made it more difficult because the House has laid down their marker to say if we’re going to work on elections, we want to work on how we’re going to take over elections.”

Lankford has some powerful allies backing his legislation.

Sen. Richard Burr Richard Mauze BurrRep. Mark Walker says he's been contacted about Liberty University vacancy Overnight Defense: Trump rejects major cut to military health care | Senate report says Trump campaign's Russia contacts posed 'grave' threat Senate report describes closer ties between 2016 Trump campaign, Russia MORE (R-N.C.), chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said the Secure Elections Act would be a good starting point for lawmakers as they weigh legislation in response to Mueller’s findings.

“We identified and came up with what we thought was an appropriate response, with the elections security act,” he said. “I think we need to get that in place.”

But he could face a significant hurdle in getting a bill to the floor.

Sen. Roy Blunt Roy Dean BluntSocial media platforms put muscle into National Voter Registration Day Senate GOP faces pivotal moment on pick for Supreme Court This week: Supreme Court fight over Ginsburg's seat upends Congress's agenda MORE (R-Mo.) — the chairman of the Senate Rules Committee, which has jurisdiction over Lankford’s bill — told reporters this week that Mueller’s findings didn’t change his belief that additional legislation isn’t needed from Congress.

Bipartisan groups of senators are working on moving sanctions legislation to slap additional financial penalties on Moscow over its election meddling.

Sens. Marco Rubio Marco Antonio RubioOvernight Defense: Pentagon redirects pandemic funding to defense contractors | US planning for full Afghanistan withdrawal by May | Anti-Trump GOP group puts ads in military papers Democrats step up hardball tactics as Supreme Court fight heats up Press: Notorious RBG vs Notorious GOP MORE (R-Fla.) and Chris Van Hollen Christopher (Chris) Van HollenCongress must finish work on popular conservation bill before time runs out Democrats fear Russia interference could spoil bid to retake Senate Mid-Atlantic states sue EPA over Chesapeake Bay pollution MORE (D-Md.) have introduced a measure that would hit automatic penalties on future election meddling, while Sens. Lindsey Graham Lindsey Olin GrahamSenate GOP aims to confirm Trump court pick by Oct. 29: report The Hill's Campaign Report: GOP set to ask SCOTUS to limit mail-in voting Senate GOP sees early Supreme Court vote as political booster shot MORE (R-S.C.) and Bob Menendez Robert (Bob) MenendezKasie Hunt to host lead-in show for MSNBC's 'Morning Joe' Senators ask for removal of tariffs on EU food, wine, spirits: report VOA visa decision could hobble Venezuela coverage MORE (D-N.J.) have introduced a wide-ranging sanctions bill that targets Russia with new sanctions over its 2016 election interference and activities in Ukraine and Syria.

Rubio was less optimistic for the prospects of his own bill, saying they were trying to “get some traction on that” but “we haven’t been very successful so far. We’re trying to get some interest in it again.”

Though the Senate passed Russia sanctions in 2017 over the objections of the Trump administration, follow-up legislation has run into congressional inertia. McConnell said last year that he had asked for chairmen of the Senate Foreign Relations and Banking committees to come up with suggestions for potential legislation.

Asked about moving sanctions legislation through the Banking Committee, Chairman Mike Crapo Michael (Mike) Dean CrapoBottom line Davis: The Hall of Shame for GOP senators who remain silent on Donald Trump Top GOP senator urges agencies to protect renters, banks amid coronavirus aid negotiations MORE (R-Idaho) noted that he hadn't seen a bill that didn't duplicate the 2017 law.

"Perhaps some new proposal can come up that can change that," he said. "But most of the proposals that I've seen are simply duplicative."

Graham, on Tuesday, said he thought the Mueller report had provided them with a “moment,” adding that he was working with Sen. Jim Risch James (Jim) Elroy RischWhy the US should rely more on strategy, not sanctions Davis: The Hall of Shame for GOP senators who remain silent on Donald Trump Senators blast Turkey's move to convert Hagia Sophia back into a mosque MORE (R-Idaho), who heads the Foreign Relations Committee, to try to come up with a bill.

“I think it’s a moment,” he said. “I hope we can find some common ground and move because the Mueller report’s big takeaway for me was how deep and how involved the Russians were.”