US Senate panel to vote on sanctions on Russia-to-Germany gas pipeline

WASHINGTON, July 25 (Reuters) - A U.S. Senate committee is due to vote next week on a bill that would slap sanctions on companies and individuals involved in building the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline from Russia to Germany that the Trump administration says would strengthen Moscow's economic grip on Europe.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee had been expected to consider the bill at a business meeting on Thursday, but its chairman, Republican Senator Jim Risch, said he had agreed to one member's request to delay consideration of the "Protecting Europe's Energy Security Act."

The bill, sponsored by Republican Senator Ted Cruz, reflects some lawmakers' concerns over Russian influence in Europe. It would need to pass both the full Senate and the House of Representatives and be signed by President Donald Trump to become law.

(Reporting by Timothy Gardner and Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Nick Zieminski)