Key facts
- A bill to impose tariffs on Russian oil and gas faces an uncertain path in the US House of Representatives before the November midterm elections.
- The legislation, which passed the Senate 86-11, would grant President Donald Trump additional authority to impose punitive tariffs on countries buying Russian fossil fuels.
- Ukraine's sanctions commissioner, Vladyslav Vlasiuk, met with US lawmakers to advocate for the bill, reporting broad support for increasing pressure on Russia.
- Some House Democrats are hesitant due to concerns about granting Trump additional tariff authority and the fact that sanctions are optional rather than mandatory in the current version.
- The House's legislative calendar has been significantly compressed, with members expected to leave Washington by September 17 and not return until mid-November.
A significant bill aimed at imposing further sanctions on Russia, including punitive tariffs on countries that continue to purchase Russian fossil fuels, faces an uncertain future in the US House of Representatives as lawmakers grapple with a compressed legislative calendar ahead of the November midterm elections.
Vladyslav Vlasiuk, Ukraine's sanctions commissioner, spent the week in Washington meeting with members of both parties to advocate for the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026. The legislation, which passed the Senate with broad bipartisan support (86-11), would also target Iran's military-industrial cooperation with Moscow. However, the bill faces a more challenging path in the House, where some Democrats have expressed reservations about provisions that would grant President Donald Trump additional authority to impose tariffs.
Republican leaders have announced the cancellation of the final two weeks of the pre-election House session, with members expected to depart Washington by September 17. This compressed schedule has intensified pressure on supporters of the sanctions bill. Senior Republican aides indicated the bill remains a priority, contingent on Democrats aligning their positions. Democratic aides expressed cautious optimism but noted uncertainty regarding whether Speaker Mike Johnson will schedule a vote on the measure.
Vlasiuk reported encountering broad support for increasing pressure on Russia during approximately 20 meetings with lawmakers, stating that no one outright opposed the legislation. He suggested that the bill could be advanced through a suspension of the rules, a fast-track procedure for widely supported legislation.
Thomas Melia, a former State Department official, explained that Democratic hesitation stems partly from the fact that the administration already possesses significant sanctioning authority, making the bill's primary value political and symbolic. He also highlighted concerns among Democrats about granting Trump additional tariff powers, which could be broadly applied to US trading partners. Melia further noted that the final version of the bill makes sanctions optional rather than mandatory, a departure from earlier, tougher proposals.
Vlasiuk defended the tariff provisions as a powerful instrument to amplify sanctions' effectiveness and argued they are less susceptible to circumvention than traditional sanctions. He specifically pointed to China and India as key countries whose energy purchases support Russia's economy. Ukraine also supports the bill's provisions targeting Iran due to its military cooperation with Moscow. Representative Don Bacon characterized the lack of congressional action as a "real shame."