Congress Is About to Vote on Punishing Russia. Here's What's in the Bill
The House Rules Committee on Monday, Sept. 14, moved forward the Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026. That sets up a House rules vote Tuesday afternoon, Sept. 15, and a full vote Wednesday, Sept. 16. The Guardian
The bill would let President Donald Trump add high import taxes, called tariffs, on Russia and countries that trade with it. It would target Russia's oil and gas business, its weapons industry, and its "shadow fleet" of tankers that dodge current oil limits. It would also let Trump charge 100% tariffs on big buyers of Russian oil, including China and India. The Guardian
The bill was co-written by South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, who died earlier in 2026. Congress.gov lists S.5025 in the 119th Congress as the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026. It says the bill places different sanctions, tariffs and bans tied to Russia. One part is titled "Increase in duties on goods imported from the Russian Federation." An earlier version, S.1241, is called the Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025 and names Sen. Lindsey Graham as sponsor.
This House step comes after the Senate passed the bill in August 2026 by 86-11. At that point it was called the "Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026." Reuters The Senate package aimed to help Ukraine by targeting Russia and Iran. The New York Times Before that final vote, the Senate moved the bill ahead 86 to 12 in a procedural vote. Reuters
In January, Graham said the idea was to let Trump punish countries that buy cheap Russian oil that pays for Putin's war. Reuters Think of it like this: instead of only punishing Russia directly, the U.S. would also punish other countries that keep buying from Russia. That focus on outside buyers stayed in the House version. The bill also seeks to punish Russian officials with sanctions. Reuters
In the House, Representatives Gregory Meeks, Don Beyer and Richard Neal led opposition from Democrats. They said the bill would give the president much more tariff power without forcing action against Russia. In a joint statement, they said it would do "more harm than good" and would raise prices for Americans while hurting long-term help for Ukraine. The Guardian
The Senate had a similar fight. Before final passage, Senator Alex Padilla backed a change to take the new tariff powers out of the bill. That change failed 32-64. Office of Senator Padilla
Representative Steny Hoyer, who supports the bill, suggested a change naming 10 countries that could face these extra penalties: China, India, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Singapore, Slovakia and the United Arab Emirates. The Guardian Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday the Graham sanctions bill was still a bill and not a law, and it was important it becomes law. The Guardian
The broader context here is about choice and control. House critics are not mainly arguing about whether to pressure Russia. They are arguing about how much freedom the president should have. Flexible tariff power lets the White House slow down, speed up or make deals with buyers. A strict rule keeps pressure on but leaves less room to negotiate. That choice shapes whether the tariffs press Moscow, press buyers like India and China, or both.
Looking at what comes next this week, the vote order matters. The rules vote and then the full vote will show if most House members back this flexible plan, even with worries about higher prices and too much presidential power. If the House passes the Senate bill, the next question is how it is used: which buyers are hit, how high and how fast, and who gets a pass. If the Hoyer country list is added, businesses and oil traders will know more clearly who is at risk, but the president will have less choice. Either way, the result will affect Russian oil sales and U.S. trade with other countries.
