US Congress passes sweeping Russia sanctions Bill — SkimNews
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- House passed the Russia sanctions package 262-159 on Sept 16, after the Senate approved it 86-11 last month; Trump has said he will sign it into law
- Legislation gives Trump authority to impose tariffs of up to 100% on major buyers of Russian oil and gas — including potentially China and India — and targets Russia's shadow fleet of tankers while extending sanctions involving Iran
- Gregory Meeks, top House Foreign Affairs Democrat, called the bill "deeply flawed," saying White House lawyers drafted it to maximize Trump's tariff authority and minimize any obligation to actually sanction Russia
- Zelenskyy had urged Congress to pass the package, noting Russia is losing 30,000 soldiers per month but Putin still "doesn't want to stop this war"
- Republican Senator Lindsey Graham sponsored the bill and had pushed for it since April 2025; the vote came just before House lawmakers left to campaign ahead of November's midterms
Why it matters: Democrats charged the bill was written to hand Trump sweeping discretionary tariff power — up to 100% on China and India over Russian oil purchases — while weakening the duty to actually sanction Moscow, exposing a fragile bipartisan consensus on Ukraine weeks before midterm campaigning begins.
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