menu_open Columnists
We use cookies to provide some features and experiences in QOSHE

More information  .  Close

With broad bipartisan support, Congress is about to give Trump ‘unchecked authority’ to impose new tariffs of up to 100% on top trading partners

14 0
08.08.2026

With broad bipartisan support, Congress is about to give Trump ‘unchecked authority’ to impose new tariffs of up to 100% on top trading partners

Courts have blocked President Donald Trump’s earlier attempts to use existing laws for his trade war, but Congress is advancing a new law that would provide broad discretion to impose steep tariffs.

In an 86-to-11 vote, the Senate passed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026 on Friday, with the House expected to approve the bill with similar bipartisan support next month.

It sanctions Russian President Vladimir Putin and senior Kremlin officials while also targeting the country’s energy sector to cripple the economy amid its war on Ukraine.

The bill would let Trump impose fresh tariffs as high as 100% on the top five importers of Russian oil and gas. While that could include U.S. allies like the European Union, South Korea, Japan as well as top trading partners like China and India, the president also has the ability to issue waivers if he deems it “in the national interest of the United States.”

Despite the overwhelming support, Sens. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., tried to remove the bill’s tariff authority, but failed.

“It will not bring peace to Ukraine, but rather will deliberately make American families........

© Fortune