House Sets Vote on Graham Russia Sanctions Bill and New Tariff Powers
The House Rules Committee on Monday, Sept. 14, advanced the Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026, clearing it for a rule vote on the House floor on Tuesday afternoon, Sept. 15, followed by a general vote on Wednesday, Sept. 16. The Guardian
The legislation would give U.S. President Donald Trump broad authority to place tariffs on Russia and its trading partners. Tariffs here mean extra taxes on imported goods. The targets would include Russia's energy and defense industries and its "shadow fleet" of tankers used to skirt existing oil sanctions. It would also give Trump new authority to impose 100% tariffs on top purchasers of Russian oil, including China and India. The Guardian
The bill was co-authored by South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, who died earlier in 2026. Congress.gov lists S.5025 in the 119th Congress under the title the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026 and describes it as imposing a variety of sanctions, tariffs, and prohibitions related to Russia. Its text includes a provision titled "Increase in duties on goods imported from the Russian Federation." An earlier version, S.1241, is titled the Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025 and lists Sen. Lindsey Graham as sponsor.
The House step follows Senate passage in August 2026. The Senate voted 86-11 to pass the measure, called at that stage the "Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026." Reuters That Senate package aimed at supporting Ukraine by targeting Russia and Iran. The New York Times Before the final vote, the Senate advanced the bill in a procedural vote of 86 to 12. Reuters
In January, Graham had described the plan as a way to let Trump punish countries that buy cheap Russian oil that fuels Putin's war machine. Reuters That focus on secondary pressure, using U.S. tariff power against outside buyers and not only direct penalties on Russian officials and entities, continued into the House version. The Russia sanctions bill seeks to impose sanctions on Russian officials. Reuters
In the House, Representatives Gregory Meeks, Don Beyer and Richard Neal led Democratic opposition. They argued the bill would greatly expand presidential tariff power without requiring sanctions on Russia. In a joint statement, the opponents said the legislation would do "more harm than good" and would raise prices for Americans while weakening long-term support for Ukraine. The Guardian
A similar debate took place in the Senate. Before final passage, Senator Alex Padilla supported an amendment to remove the new tariff powers from the bill. The amendment failed by a vote of 32-64. Office of Senator Padilla
Representative Steny Hoyer, a co-sponsor of the bill, offered an amendment naming 10 countries subject to secondary sanctions: China, India, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Singapore, Slovakia and the United Arab Emirates. The Guardian Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday that Graham's sanctions bill was still a bill and not a law, and that it was important it becomes law. The Guardian
The broader context here is a long-running question in sanctions policy: should Congress give the president flexibility or lock in requirements. Critics in the House are debating less about whether to pressure Moscow and more about how that power is written. Flexible tariff power lets the White House adjust, pause or negotiate with buyers. A fixed requirement keeps pressure steady but removes room to bargain. For officials and businesses, the choice affects whether these tariffs work mainly to squeeze Moscow, to negotiate with New Delhi, Beijing and others, or to do both.
Looking at what this means for the week ahead, the order of votes is important. The rule vote followed by the general vote will test whether a House majority supports this flexible approach, despite concerns about consumer prices and presidential power. If the House passes the Senate version, attention will turn to enforcement: which buyers are targeted, at what tariff level and speed, and how exceptions are handled. If the Hoyer list of countries is added, compliance officers and energy traders would have a clearer map of who faces risk, while the president would have less room to choose. Either result will affect the cost and flow of Russian oil and U.S. trade ties far beyond Russia.
