Trump Signs Russia Sanctions Bill That Passes Both Chambers Overwhelmingly — and Hands the President Sweeping New Tariff Power

Trump Signs Russia Sanctions Bill That Passes Both Chambers Overwhelmingly — and Hands the President Sweeping New Tariff Power

On Friday, September 18, 2026, President Trump signed the Russia sanctions bill into law — legislation he had stalled for months — authorizing sanctions and tariffs of up to 100% on the top five purchasers of Russian energy and on countries helping Russia evade sanctions¹, while extending current sanctions on Iran. The bill was championed by and named after the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), co-drafted with Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.).

The bill "passed both chambers with large margins" — but the House debate exposed the power question inside it. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), explaining his "no" vote: "Life is way too expensive in the United States of America. Why in the world would this Congress or the People's House give this president unfettered authority to visit more tariffs on the world that will have an adverse economic impact on the American people? I can't do it."

Trump had stalled the bill for months, "arguing that he wanted greater flexibility to negotiate with Putin" — a presidential veto-by-delay over a Congressionally-passed constraint on his Russia policy. In the end he signed it, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked him: "I thank all the senators and members of the House of Representatives who supported it. The best way to honor Lindsey's memory will be to implement the provisions of this law fully and swiftly."

What it signals: a two-sided power datum. Congress asserted itself on Russia policy — passing a mandatory sanctions-and-tariffs framework over months of presidential resistance — yet the vehicle itself delegates sweeping new tariff discretion to the executive, the very power Democrats warned about. Whether the president implements the mandates "fully and swiftly" (as Zelensky urged) or slow-walks them as he did the bill itself is the next test. This sits alongside the administration's broader unilateral trade architecture (Trump Prepares Post-Section 122 Tariff Sourcing Map with Bilateral Tariff Letters, Twenty-Five States Sue to Block Trump's Section 301 Forced-Labor Tariffs).