A bill proposed last year by the late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of the United States, aimed at sanctioning Russia’s “shadow fleet,” passed the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday (September 16) in a 262-159 vote. Since the bill had already cleared the Senate, it will now be sent to President Donald Trump for his signature.
The bill, titled the “Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026,” passed the Senate in August by a vote of 86 to 11 after more than a year of political wrangling, and has now won bipartisan support in the House; Trump had previously said he would sign the bill.
Under the bill’s provisions, sanctions would be extended to Russia’s energy and defense industries, as well as the “shadow fleet” of tankers helping Russia evade existing sanctions. The bill also grants Trump the power to impose tariffs of up to 100% on countries such as China and India that purchase Russian oil and natural gas, in hopes of reducing those countries’ dependence on Russian energy and further applying economic pressure on Moscow.
The House vote likewise showed bipartisan support, with 58 Democratic lawmakers voting in favor and 7 Republican lawmakers voting against. However, some Democrats still questioned the bill for granting the president excessive tariff powers, arguing that such powers could be used against U.S. allies. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said the bill contains too many loopholes to guarantee that Russia will actually face sanctions pressure, and could further expand Trump’s discretion over tariff policy.
Notably, once signed by Trump, the bill officially becomes law, but the bill itself does not mean the related tariffs will automatically take effect. Because it is enabling legislation, what Trump gains is the authority to decide whether to impose the related tariff measures; if he later decides to impose tariffs on countries purchasing Russian energy, he can implement them through executive orders and other administrative procedures, without needing further legislative authorization from Congress.
