Bill grants Trump new tariff authority over China, India
The House passed the sanctions package 262-159 on Wednesday, completing the legislative path to President Trump’s desk. The Senate had cleared the same bill 86-11 in August.
The legislation targets Russian officials, companies, and financial institutions helping fuel the war, with the stated goal of pressuring Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the invasion of Ukraine. Thousands of civilians have been killed since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
The bill also gives the president authority to impose tariffs on top countries importing oil and natural gas from Russia, such as China and India. The tariff authority was a sticking point for many Democrats who opposed the measure, citing fears that Trump could gain a new avenue to levy tariffs on nations of his choosing.
Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., said the bill would give the president an unchecked new tool to target foreign governments. “This bill has a loophole that would allow him to define basically any country as a facilitator of evading Russian sanctions,” Beyer said. “He could then hit them with tariffs of up to 100%, with no guardrails or oversight, and no expiration.”
Despite those concerns, 58 House Democrats joined most Republicans to advance the package. Seven Republicans voted with most Democrats to block the measure, reflecting the fracture over U.S. support for Ukraine that has emerged within the GOP caucus in recent years.
Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, cast the vote in moral terms. “This is a moral issue that requires moral courage,” McCaul said. “I want us to be able to say that we did everything possible to end this war. That we understood the threat. That we had the courage to do what was right — to cripple the Russian war machine and turn the tide toward peace.”
The legislation is named in memory of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina Republican who helped negotiate Trump’s support for the package.