In a race against time, U.S. legislators introduced amendments to the Russia sanctions bill, with one aiming to list its major trading partners including India in the measure, and another seeking to eliminate the section that imposes tariffs entirely.
The Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, which the U.S. Senate approved last month by a decisive 86-11 margin, aims to impose penalties not only on Russia’s leadership and energy industry but also on the so-called “shadow fleet” of ships that help Moscow circumvent restrictions on its oil exports.
The United States maintains that Russia’s crude oil trade is financing its war against Ukraine. The Bill also aims to empower President Donald Trump to levy 100% tariffs on Russia’s major oil trade partners, including China and India.
The Bill, approved by the U.S. Senate on August 7, does not explicitly identify Russia’s trading partners but does refer to the five largest importers of oil and gas by volume.
The House of Representatives needs to approve the bill before it can be sent to the President for signing. The chamber has only four remaining working days before it adjourns for an early recess in advance of the November 3 midterm elections.
The amendment introduced by Democratic Congressman Steny Hoyer proposes designating China, India, Turkiye, Azerbaijan, Hungary, the Slovak Republic, the UAE, Singapore, Kazakhstan, and the Kyrgyz Republic as nations eligible for 100% tariffs.
Notably, Democratic Congressman Gregory Meeks, a firm opponent of expanding Mr. Trump’s authority to impose tariffs, has introduced an amendment to eliminate Section 113 in its entirety.
This provision would have empowered the President to levy sweeping secondary tariffs on Russia’s trading partners. The amendment moved by Meeks has three co-sponsors.
Section 113, a provision in the proposed Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, that authorizes the U.S. President to levy secondary tariffs of up to 100% on countries that continue to buy Russian crude oil or natural gas.
The House Rules Committee publicly released the amendments to the Russia sanctions act on Monday, September 14, 2026.
One amendment introduced by Meeks would permit the President to suspend sanctions imposed on a foreign individual for 90 days, with the option to renew the waiver in additional 90-day increments, if deemed "vital to the national security of the United States."
Meeks has also proposed an amendment authorizing $15 billion in direct loans to Ukraine to fund the purchase of defense equipment and services.