WE OPPOSE THE RUSSIA SANCTIONS BILL

AND ITS 100 PERCENT TARIFFS

We strongly oppose the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act and its dangerous expansion of sanctions and presidential tariff powers. In the name of economically punishing Russia, this legislation risks making the American people pay through higher prices while threatening global trade, disrupting supply chains, and inviting retaliation against American exports. Giving the president authority to impose tariffs of up to 100 percent on goods from some of the world's largest economies is an extraordinarily aggressive economic measure whose consequences could spread far beyond Russia. The American people and the global economy should not be forced to bear the economic costs of an escalating sanctions policy that could create new economic conflicts while attempting to resolve another.

The U.S. Senate has overwhelmingly approved sweeping new sanctions designed to increase economic pressure on Russia and countries that continue purchasing Russian oil and natural gas.

The legislation grew out of the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026 (S. 5025), a bipartisan proposal targeting Russian officials, oligarchs, financial institutions, companies supporting Russia's defense industry, and vessels used to evade existing sanctions.

Most significantly, the legislation gives the president authority to impose tariffs of up to 100 percent on goods from major countries that continue purchasing Russian oil and natural gas. The provision could place enormous pressure on countries such as China and India, which have become major buyers of Russian energy. But tariffs on this scale also threaten to seriously disrupt world trade. Targeting some of the world's largest economies risks destabilizing global supply chains, triggering retaliatory tariffs against American products, driving countries toward alternative trading partners, and raising costs for businesses and consumers. In attempting to isolate Russia economically, the United States could deepen international trade divisions and impose high economic costs far beyond Russia itself.

The legislation nevertheless gives the president considerable discretion over how the measures are applied, including authority to waive certain sanctions and tariffs when doing so is determined to be in the national interest.

On August 7, 2026, the Senate approved the sanctions legislation as H.R. 5334, as amended, by a vote of 86–11, an unusually large bipartisan majority. Three senators did not vote. The eleven senators voting against the bill were Lisa Blunt Rochester, Maggie Hassan, Mazie Hirono, Ed Markey, Jon Ossoff, Alex Padilla, Rand Paul, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Peter Welch and Ron Wyden.

The vote demonstrates the strength of bipartisan congressional support for escalating economic pressure on Russia, but the legislation also faced objections over its potential impact on Americans. Senator Rand Paul attempted to remove the authority for tariffs of up to 100 percent while leaving the broader sanctions against Russia intact, arguing that such tariffs would raise prices for American consumers and give the executive branch excessive power over taxation. Paul's amendment was rejected by the Senate in a 32–64 vote. Business and industry groups also warned that the tariffs could increase costs, disrupt trade and provoke retaliation against U.S. exports.

The legislation therefore represents a significant expansion of U.S. sanctions policy. Rather than targeting Russia alone, it seeks to use access to the American market as leverage against countries that continue helping finance the Russian economy through their purchases of Russian energy.