Democrats begrudgingly hand Trump victory on tariffs in sprawling sanctions bill
The House of Representatives approved a sweeping sanctions measure aimed at Russia on Wednesday, delivering President Donald Trump a new tariff authority that many Democrats have long opposed. The Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 passed by a vote of 262 to 159, with 53 Democrats joining 203 Republicans in favor while seven Republicans and 152 Democrats voted against it.
The legislation, named after the late Republican senator who was a prominent advocate for Ukraine before his death in July, targets the financial networks that sustain Russia’s war effort. It authorizes sanctions on Russian officials, oligarchs, banks and financial institutions, and the so‑called shadow fleet that transports Russian energy. In addition, the bill imposes penalties on countries that provide financial support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
A central point of contention is the provision granting the president the ability to levy tariffs of up to 500 % on Russian imports and up to 100 % on the top five nations purchasing Russian energy. Democrats warned that the measure gives Trump unchecked power to use tariffs as a political tool, potentially against Ukraine or other allies. During floor debate, Representative Richard Neal of Massachusetts declared, “What we're not for is giving more tariff authority to this president.” He added that the bill contains no guarantee the president could not wield those tariffs against Ukraine if he chose to do so.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York echoed those concerns, arguing that the legislation is riddled with loopholes. “The manner in which this bill has been written doesn’t require the president of the United States to impose sanctions on Russia. In fact, there are so many loopholes written into the bill, I believe that it's very unlikely that the sanctions relief contemplated in the legislation will ever see the light of day,” Jeffries said.
Supporters of the bill stressed its strategic importance. Representative Michael McCaul, the Texas Republican who led the House effort, invoked the late senator’s vision, stating, “This is a critical time in history, a time my friend Lindsey Graham described as a magic moment, a moment that we cannot afford to waste.” He contended that the measure projects American strength abroad while bolstering domestic security.
Senate Democrats, meanwhile, played a key role in shaping the final text. Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, who helped draft the bill and rallied Democratic support in the Senate, defended the tariff authority on the grounds that judicial oversight would prevent abuse. “If Donald Trump wants to break this law, he will be restrained by the courts, just as when he broke the law on tariffs previously,” Blumenthal told Fox News Digital.
The bipartisan breakthrough was secured in part by two Democrats who bucked party leadership earlier in the week. Representatives Jared Golden of Maine and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington voted with Republicans on Tuesday to advance the measure, preventing it from stalling amid a conservative revolt over an unrelated issue. Their decision drew a public reprimand from Jeffries, who labeled the move a “breach of trust.” A spokesperson for Golden emphasized his consistent backing of Ukraine, saying he “didn’t want to see the Russia sanctions bill die in a rule vote after passing with overwhelming bipartisan support in the Senate.”
The bill now moves to the president’s desk for signature. If enacted, it will expand the executive’s ability to impose tariffs as part of a broader strategy to curtail Russia’s capacity to fund its war in Ukraine, while simultaneously raising questions about the balance of power between Congress and the White House on trade policy.