Sanctions against Russia and tariffs on its partners: the US Congress is preparing for the final vote

The US House of Representatives has taken the first step towards a final vote on a bill to impose sanctions on Russia and Iran, named after the late Senator Lindsey Graham. The procedural decision passed with a narrow margin of 214 votes in favor and 211 against.

This was reported by The Hill.

The bill, which would allow US President Donald Trump to impose tariffs on countries that buy Russian energy, also includes sanctions against Iran. The Senate had previously voted 86-11 to approve it.

The decisive votes in the House of Representatives were those of two Democrats, Jared Golden of Maine and Marie Glusenkamp Perez of Washington. In early September, they had already supported a similar procedural decision along with Republicans.

The bill was criticized by representatives of both parties on the eve. In particular, Republican Tim Burchett voted against it. He told the publication that he seeks to achieve lower fuel prices, and his party leadership promised to put the issue on a separate vote.

The bill in the House of Representatives is sponsored by Republican Michael McCaul of Texas, who said he promised Graham he would get the bill passed during the senator’s lifetime.

“When we look back on this moment, I want us to be able to say that we did everything we could to end this war,” McCaul said.

At the same time, some Democrats oppose the document in its current form. Don Baier, Gregory Meeks, and Richard Neal said that the bill significantly expands the president’s authority over tariffs while not obliging him to impose sanctions against Russia.

“This bill would dramatically expand the president’s authority over tariffs while not requiring sanctions against Russia. […] Democrats believe this could lead to higher prices for Americans and weaken support for Ukraine in the long term,” their joint statement said.

Critics also fear that the new tariff powers could increase costs for American consumers. Supporters of the bill say it would increase economic pressure on Russia and cut off the revenue Moscow uses to fund its war. The bill would allow the US president to impose tariffs of up to 100% on countries that buy significant amounts of Russian energy.

The House of Representatives must now move on to consideration of the bill itself and a final vote. If passed, the document must be signed by the president.

As reported the day before, the US House of Representatives Rules Committee approved Senator Lindsey Graham’s bill to tighten sanctions against Russia overnight without any changes .

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