US House to Vote Next Week on Graham’s Russia Sanctions Bill

The US House of Representatives is scheduled to vote next week on a bipartisan Russia sanctions bill co-authored by US Senators Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal, Bloomberg reported. The Graham-Blumenthal legislation will be considered under a procedure requiring a simple majority for passage. The measure would authorize US President Donald Trump to impose 100% tariffs on the five largest buyers of Russian crude oil and natural gas, as well as on the five primary nations assisting Moscow in circumventing energy sanctions.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Major purchasers of Russian hydrocarbons include China, India, and Turkey. The upcoming floor action comes despite reservations among lawmakers that the bill could overly broaden the executive branch’s tariff authority and contribute to higher global oil prices. According to a draft letter from the US Chamber of Commerce and corporate representatives reviewed by Bloomberg, business groups urged House leadership to strip the tariff provisions from the text. Instead, the business coalition called on Congress to focus on targeted sanctions, stricter enforcement against sanctions evasion, and coordinated diplomatic engagement with nations purchasing Russian energy. Senate passage and House divisions The legislation, formally titled the S.5025 Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026, passed the Senate on Aug. 7 with an overwhelming 86-11 bipartisan vote. The revised bill modified earlier proposals introduced in April 2025 that sought to impose a 500% tariff on imports from countries purchasing Russian raw materials. The current version lowers that threshold to 100% on goods from third-party buyers of Russian energy, while maintaining a 500% tariff directly on all Russian imports. Other Topics of Interest Putin Admits Russia Is World’s Biggest Sanctions Target, Ramps Up Anti-West Rhetoric Speaking at BRICS and later taking questions from Russian journalists, Putin mocked the G7 and blamed “Western globalists” for Europe’s troubles. The measure also expands existing sanctions regimes against Russian entities and individuals supporting Moscow’s war effort, providing expanded executive tools to penalize Russia’s commercial partners. Proponents argue that the threat of punitive duties could compel countries like China and India to curb Russian energy purchases, depriving the Kremlin of vital export revenues. Despite the decisive Senate tally, the legislation met resistance upon reaching the House, where Democratic leadership voiced opposition and Republicans remained divided. Senior House Democrats, including Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Gregory Meeks and Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard Neal, warned against granting the president expanded discretionary tariff mechanisms. “Congress does not need to greenlight new tariff authority for the president,” Meeks and Neal stated, expressing concern that the powers could be utilized beyond the intended scope. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries also noted that Democratic lawmakers held serious concerns regarding the legislation. Among Republicans, fiscal and foreign policy divisions have also slowed progress. While defense-oriented lawmakers like Representative Don Bacon emphasized that passing the bill is critical to holding Moscow accountable, libertarian-leaning members such as Representative Thomas Massie voiced principled objections to sanctioning foreign sovereign states. The scheduling of the vote under simple-majority rules clears a major procedural hurdle, bypassing fast-track requirements that would have demanded a two-thirds majority in the closely divided chamber. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.