U.S. Senate Passes Russia Sanctions Bill 86 Votes, Authorizing 100% Tariffs on China and India
Claire Weston
The U.S. Senate passed a new Russia sanctions bill 86–11, authorizing the president to impose 100% tariffs on Russia's top five energy buyers. But broad presidential waivers built into the bill mean its real bite depends on whether Trump chooses to pull the trigger.
What does this bill actually authorize?
The president can impose 100% tariffs on Russia's top five crude-oil and natural-gas buyers, with equal measures against the top five countries helping Russia evade energy sanctions.
On goods imported directly from Russia, the president can levy a one-time tariff of up to 500%. All tariff authorities expire after five years.
The bill also extends the 1996 Iran Sanctions Act to 2031. That law imposes secondary sanctions — meaning the U.S. penalizes not Iran itself, but third-party companies doing business with Iran.
Who drove this bill?
The bill was led by the late South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who died shortly after returning from a visit to Ukraine last month.
His sister Darline Graham was appointed to fill his Senate seat. Before the vote she said: "This legislation strikes at the heart of Putin."
The 86–11 vote showed rare bipartisan unity. This means → on the Russia question, the gap inside Congress is far smaller than the gap between Congress and the White House.
Why are the waivers the real story?
The White House negotiated broad presidential waivers — the president can simply choose not to enforce any of the penalties. In plain terms = the bill hands the president a loaded gun but also the right not to fire it.
Trump has a track record: last year he slapped 25% tariffs on Indian goods over India's Russian energy purchases, then reversed them to pursue a broader U.S.–India trade deal. China, one of Russia's largest oil buyers, faced no penalty at all.
This reflects a deeper reality: the bill's true force depends not on how many senators voted yes, but on how the White House ranks its geopolitical priorities.
What are critics worried about?
Republican Senator Rand Paul warned the bill could give Trump a legal basis to impose sweeping new tariffs on major trading partners like China and India. Paul's amendment to block the new tariff authority failed.
Some Democratic senators argued sanctions are pointless if Trump does not change his stance toward Putin. Senator Chris Murphy said: "Sanctions cannot fix the underlying problem if he continues to vouch for Vladimir Putin."
This means → the left and right fear opposite outcomes — the right fears the power will be abused for trade wars; the left fears it will never be used at all.
What happens next?
The bill has cleared the Senate but still needs to pass the House of Representatives before it becomes law.
The current version is already significantly narrower than last year's draft, trimmed to secure Trump's support. In plain terms = Congress dulled the blade to get the bill through the door.
Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the U.S. has piled on sanctions, yet complex waivers and loopholes have let Russia keep selling most of its energy on the global market. Whether this bill actually squeezes Russian energy revenue comes down to one question: will Trump use the tariff powers he has just been given?
Content is for reference only, not financial advice.