Trump Signs Graham Russia Sanctions Act — 100% Tariff Authority Aimed at China and India, Days Before the Xi Summit
UPDATE (Sept 19, 2026): SIGNED. President Trump signed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 into law on Friday, September 18 — one day after the House passed it 262-159 and five days before he hosts Xi Jinping at the White House. Per CBS News: "President Trump signed a sweeping bill Friday to sanction Russia and threaten tariffs on its largest energy customers, legislation championed by the late Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham."
The law "lets the president impose tariffs of up to 100% on the five largest purchasers of Russian oil and natural gas. It also sanctions Russian President Vladimir Putin... as well as his government officials, oligarchs and Russian banks and financial institutions." It "also extends sanctions on Iran's energy and weapons sectors."
CBS notes the geopolitical collision course explicitly: "When it comes to foreign countries, the bill would have the most impact on China and India, the largest purchasers of Russian crude oil. Mr. Trump is set to meet with Xi Jinping at the White House on Sept. 24." The act therefore hands Trump a lever he can either pull (designating Beijing and Delhi for secondary tariffs) or hold in reserve as summit leverage — the signing is not the same as a designation1, and no designations had been made as of this cycle.
Legislative path: Senate 86-11 in August; House 262-159 on September 16. The bill is a memorial as much as a policy instrument — Graham, who died in July at 71 of a torn aorta shortly after returning from a trip to Ukraine, had pushed the bill's passage "shortly before his sudden death"; Trump delivered the eulogy at his funeral.
On the war the bill targets, Trump voiced his own frustration: "The holdup is two people that hate each other," he said after speaking with Putin.
What this changes: the US now has codified, veto-proof-backed authority for 100% secondary tariffs on Russian-energy buyers — the single most escalatory economic tool against China's and India's Russia relationship. Whether the first designations land before, at, or after the Sept 24 summit is the signal to watch (registered below).
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An instance of Mandated sanctions don't get enforced — they get priced. — The statute is signed as stockpiled negotiating leverage with designations deliberately unmade — enforcement priced, not executed. ↩︎