US House of Representatives approves Graham's Russia sanctions bill

The US House of Representatives passed a bill on September 16 to expand sanctions against Russia, which the late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham had been advancing for over a year. The document already passed the Senate and now goes to President Donald Trump.

The bill was supported by 262 House members, while 159 voted against. According to CBS News, 58 Democrats supported the bill, while seven Republicans voted against.

In August, the US Senate approved the document by a vote of 86 to 11. Thus, the House vote was the final step in its passage through Congress before being sent to the White House. The Washington Post writes that Trump's signature is expected.

The bill was named the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 in honor of Graham, who was one of the main authors of the sanctions initiative. Negotiations over the document lasted more than a year.

One key provision allows the US president to impose tariffs of up to 100% on the five largest state buyers of Russian oil or natural gas. Exceptions are provided for countries that are relatively less dependent on Russian gas and take substantial steps to reduce its import.

The document also provides or sanctions against Russian banks and financial institutions, Russian officials and other individuals, as well as measures against the so-called shadow fleet that Russia uses to export oil in circumvention of Western restrictions.

At the same time, the bill gives the president the ability to waive part of the restrictions if he notifies Congress that it is in the US national interest. At Trump's insistence, the document also includes an extension of sanctions on Iran's energy and weapons sectors.

During consideration in the House, some Democrats opposed the bill precisely because of the expansion of the president's tariff powers. They said such provisions could be used more broadly than for pressuring Russia and could affect prices in the US. Supporters of the document, in turn, emphasized that the tariffs should strengthen the effect of sanctions against Russian energy exports.

Based on materials from: Axios, CBS News, The Washington Post