Tariffs

A Russia Sanctions Bill Would Give Trump Vast New Tariff Powers

The bill, which passed the House and Senate, would let Trump impose tariffs up to 100 percent on certain countries, but it fails to properly define which.

Joe Lancaster | 9.17.2026 11:35 AM

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(Illustration: Adani Samat. Photo: Mtkang/Valentin M Armianu/Dreamstime)

This week, the House passed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, named for the late senator. The Senate passed its own version of the bill in August, and it now heads to President Donald Trump's desk to be signed into law.

In a fitting tribute to Graham, the bill would expand the powers of the presidency at the expense of the legislature.

The bill imposes sanctions on Russia and Iran, a longtime priority of Graham's. It also directs the president to impose tariffs "of up to 100 percent" on all goods from any countries that, in the previous year, were "among the 5 largest importers, by total volume, of crude oil or natural gas that originated in the Russian Federation" or "among the top 5 countries facilitating Russian oil sanctions evasion."

Through the end of August, China, India, and Turkey were the largest recipients of Russian crude oil, while the European Union received the most pipeline gas and liquefied natural gas. (The bill exempts any country that imported "less than 15 percent" of Russia's total natural gas........

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