On the final day of the current congressional session before the upcoming Election Day recess, the House of Representatives voted 262 to 159 to approve a comprehensive Russia sanctions package. The legislation, which previously passed the Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support following a year of negotiations led by the late Senator Lindsey Graham, is now headed to President Trump’s desk.
The bill, officially titled the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, authorizes the president to impose tariffs as high as 100% on the top five purchasers of Russian natural gas or oil. While these measures are intended to cripple Russian financial institutions, banks, oligarchs, and the administration of President Vladimir Putin, the legislation includes specific exceptions for nations that import less than 15% of their natural gas from Russia and demonstrate significant progress in reducing those imports.
Speaker Mike Johnson championed the bill’s passage, stating it provides the administration with every necessary tool to help conclude the war in Ukraine and sends a robust signal of American unity. Representative Michael McCaul of Texas emphasized the strategic importance of the tariffs, noting on the House floor that while sanctions are frequently evaded by Russia, the implementation of tariffs provides the necessary teeth to amplify the impact of the measures.
The effort to finalize the bill gained momentum following the unexpected passing of Senator Graham in July, shortly after he returned from Kyiv and announced a deal with the White House. At the request of President Trump, the final version of the legislation also mandates additional sanctions targeting the weapons and energy sectors in Iran.
Despite the overall passage, the measure faced notable resistance from Democratic leadership. Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Whip Katherine Clark, and Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar released a joint statement arguing that President Trump cannot be trusted with expanded authority to impose tariffs, claiming such powers would increase costs for American families. Further opposition came from Representatives Gregory Meeks, Don Beyer, and Richard Neal, who argued that existing presidential authorities were already sufficient to target Russia’s war machine without expanding tariff powers.
The bill’s path to the floor was nearly stalled during a procedural vote on Tuesday, which saw a small group of conservatives withhold their support. The legislation was ultimately saved by two moderate Democrats—Representatives Jared Golden and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez—who broke ranks with their party. Golden noted that given the time constraints before the election, the stakes for Ukraine were too high to allow the bill to fail on a procedural technicality, while Gluesenkamp Perez cited a commitment to the values of her local Ukrainian constituency.
Global market dynamics remain a focal point for the legislation, as China and India currently stand as the largest importers of Russian crude oil. While the European Union has historically been the primary consumer of Russian natural gas, its imports have decreased substantially in recent years as sales to China have increased.
Regarding the broad executive authority granted by the bill, the president retains the power to waive these sanctions if he certifies to Congress that such actions are in the national interest of the United States. Following the vote, Representative Meeks expressed his intent to hold the administration accountable should the president fail to implement the law as it was intended, reiterating his focus on ensuring real support for Ukraine. The report also notes that while seven Republicans voted in opposition, some 58 Democrats voted in favor of the bill. The report also notes that according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air think tank, china and India are the largest buyers of Russian crude oil. The report also notes that trump “has shown no willingness to be strong on Russia. The report also notes that these flaws would raise Americans’ prices while undermining support for Ukraine in the long term,” Democratic Reps. The report also notes that trump proves him wrong and implements the bill as intended. The report also notes that but, in the likely event he doesn’t, I will do everything in my power to make sure Congress holds him to account, the American people do not get further crushed by his inflationary tariffs, and that Ukraine receives real support,” he said in a statement. The report also notes that you can evade sanctions — which the Russians have done for years — but you cannot evade tariffs,” Republican Rep, as we’ve heard from President Zelenskyy’s team.
