New sanctions against Russia may not reach the US vote: what is the reason?

The US House of Representatives has stalled a bill on new sanctions against Russia, which was previously supported by the Senate. The document envisages the possibility of imposing 100% tariffs on countries that buy Russian energy or help Moscow circumvent sanctions. However, Congress fears that such measures could expand Donald Trump’s tariff powers and provoke a new jump in oil and gasoline prices.

This is reported by Bloomberg.

The bill gives the US president the power to impose 100 percent tariffs on the five largest buyers of Russian oil and gas, as well as five countries that Washington considers to be the most helpful in Russia’s evasion of sanctions. The main buyers of Russian oil include China, India and Turkey.

This provision has been the most controversial in the House of Representatives. Retailers and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce have opposed the document, saying it could create additional opportunities for Trump to impose massive tariffs.

The bill received significant support in the Senate — 86 senators voted “for” and 11 “against.” In the House of Representatives, the attitude towards the initiative was much more restrained.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said that bringing the document to a vote before the November 3 election is unlikely. It is opposed not only by Democrats in key committees, but also by some Republicans.

A separate concern is the potential for higher fuel prices. If the new tariffs force India and other buyers to abandon Russian oil and seek alternative suppliers, this could further reduce supply on the global market and push prices up.

Democrats, in turn, fear increased presidential powers in the area of tariffs.

“I am not prepared to give any president, especially this one, more unlimited authority over tariffs,” said Democratic Congressman Brad Schneider.

Thus, despite support for sanctions in the Senate, the bill risks remaining stalled in the House of Representatives for a long time. Most likely, its consideration will be postponed at least until the November elections.

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