House to Vote on Russia Sanctions Bill Targeting India Trade — SkimNews
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- The US House is set to take up the Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, a bill that passed the Senate by an overwhelming majority last month and could impose tariffs on trading partners including India.
- The bill would empower President Trump to impose harsher sanctions on Russia and buyers of Russian oil and gas, while also extending existing sanctions on Iran, with the House Rules Committee scheduled to consider it Monday.
- House Democrats, including Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Congressmen Gregory Meeks, Don Beyer, and Richard Neal, opposed the measure, stating it would "dramatically expand presidential tariff authorities while failing to mandate sanctions on Russia" and "raise Americans' prices."
- Republican House leadership had previously dropped the bill from the agenda and planned an early recess ahead of mid-term elections before reviving it as an emergency measure.
- Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the ranking Democrat on Senate Foreign Relations, welcomed the House's reconsideration, saying "Ukrainian civilians continue to be killed by Putin's war machine" and arguing the bill "hits the Kremlin's coffers hard."
Why it matters: Democrats argue the bill's true effect is expanding Trump's tariff authority rather than compelling Russia sanctions, potentially raising consumer prices. India, as a major buyer of Russian oil, faces direct tariff exposure — a secondary consequence that complicates US-India trade relations. For Ukraine's backers, the bill offers a new pressure tool on Moscow, but only if the House clears it despite intra-party resistance.
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