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Trump signs Graham Russia sanctions act into law, putting 100% tariff threat over China and India

H.R. 5334 clears the White House two days after the House passed it 262-159, giving Trump authority to hit the top five buyers of Russian oil with tariffs up to 100 percent, and landing six days before Xi Jinping is due in Washington.

President Trump signed H.R. 5334, the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, into law on September 18, two days after the House cleared it and six days before Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled to arrive at the White House. The timing is not incidental. The law's most immediate practical target is the two countries that buy the most Russian crude oil: China and India.

The sequence was fast. The signing makes the Russia sanctions measure law after it passed the Senate by an 86-11 vote in August and the House 262-159 on September 16. The law gives the Trump administration sweeping new authority to impose sanctions and tariffs on Russia, its energy sector, and foreign governments and entities that help Moscow evade existing restrictions. What it does not do, by itself, is tariff anyone. Signing does not automatically tariff China or India. Impact equals enforcement.

What the law actually does

The act allows the president to impose tariffs of up to 100 percent on the top five purchasers of Russian oil or natural gas. There are exceptions for countries that import less than 15 percent of their natural gas from Russia and are taking "significant" steps to reduce those imports. Beyond energy buyers, the measure also targets Russian officials, financial institutions, defense-related networks, and the country's so-called "shadow fleet" of vessels used to transport energy while circumventing Western restrictions. It further extends the Iran Sanctions Act for five years.

The law authorizes tariffs reviewed every 180 days, plus specific measures on the "shadow fleet," Yamal LNG, and Arctic LNG 2. The president retains a waiver. The legislation provides the president with waiver authority under specified conditions, including certification to Congress that a waiver is in the national interest. That flexibility worried Democrats throughout the debate.

China and India are the largest buyers of Russian crude oil, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air think tank. Trump is set to meet with Xi Jinping at the White House on September 24. That meeting now opens with Beijing formally exposed to triple-digit tariffs if the administration chooses to use the new authority.

A split vote, a split party

The House passage on September 16 was messier than the final tally suggests. In the 262-159 vote, 203 Republicans, 58 Democrats, and one independent supported the bill, while seven Republicans and 152 Democrats opposed it. The fault lines were less about Russia than about who holds tariff power going forward.

Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., put the Democratic objection plainly: "This bill has a loophole that would allow him to define basically any country as a facilitator of evading Russian sanctions. He could then hit them with tariffs of up to 100%, with no guardrails or oversight, and no expiration."

Reps. Gregory Meeks of New York, Don Beyer of Virginia, and Richard Neal of Massachusetts said in a joint statement that while House Democrats staunchly support Ukraine, this bill would "do more harm than good" and "would dramatically expand presidential tariff authorities while failing to mandate sanctions on Russia."

Speaker Mike Johnson had a different read. "This bill sends a powerful message of American unity and gives the administration every tool in the toolbox to help bring this war to a just end, and we are proud to send it to the president's desk," Johnson said.

Much of the law's practical impact will depend on decisions by Trump and his administration. Daniel Fried, a former State Department sanctions coordinator, called the signing a good step but said the White House missed a public opportunity to name Putin directly.

Named for a senator who did not live to see it pass

The 61-page legislation was named the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, in honor of the late senator, who was an outspoken proponent of the cause before his unexpected death in July. The bill was stalled for months amid White House opposition, but Graham announced a deal with the administration just before his death. After he died, lawmakers in both parties worked to revive and fast-track the legislation in his honor.

Graham's sister, Darline Graham, who holds his Senate seat and is running this fall to keep it, welcomed the signing. "I wish Lindsey were here to celebrate this historic day. I know he would be so proud," she said, adding: "I am confident that the sanctions and other measures contained in this legislation will do that and further increase the president's negotiating leverage to secure a lasting peace."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked Trump and members of Congress for backing the legislation, invoking Graham's longstanding advocacy for maintaining pressure on Moscow. He urged the administration to implement its provisions "fully and swiftly."

The other drama: Massie, Hegseth, and the House's early exit

The sanctions signing was not the only story consuming the Capitol in its final hours before the midterm recess. On September 15, Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican who lost a primary to a Trump-backed challenger, introduced articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, accusing him of defying Congress during the Iran war, suppressing free speech, and other offenses.

In his 34-page resolution, Massie argued that Hegseth repeatedly abused the powers of his office in leading the U.S. war with Iran, including carrying out unlawful orders and continuing to keep troops deployed without authorization from Congress. The eight-article resolution also targeted Hegseth over U.S. military operations in Venezuela and Yemen, including accusing him of illegally directing the operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro without congressional authorization.

The impeachment effort is a long shot in the GOP-controlled Congress, but Massie's resolution is privileged, meaning he can force a full House vote and put Republicans on the record over Hegseth's handling of the Iran war. Massie did not give leadership advance notice. He told reporters he did not inform party leaders of his plans.

Republican leadership moved fast to make the vote disappear. House GOP leadership announced Wednesday morning that they would end their current slate of votes early and head home until the midterms. "Members are further advised that upon completion of today's legislative business, votes are no longer expected in the House tomorrow, September 17th," a message from the office of House Majority Whip Tom Emmer read.

GOP leaders were eager to avoid a difficult vote for many of their vulnerable Republican members who have been uneasy with Hegseth's leadership during the unpopular six-month war with Iran. Johnson called the effort "ridiculous." "It is a publicity stunt by someone who wants attention. It will immediately be tabled, of course. But we probably won't do that today, we will do it when we come back," Johnson said.

Massie told reporters he introduced the articles to place a "marker in history" on what he described as illegal conduct. "Doing this wasn't predicated on whether it could succeed or not; there needs to be a marker in history," he said.

The House was already operating on a diminished schedule, after Speaker Johnson earlier this month canceled two weeks in session for late September. The chamber is not due back until after the November 3 election. Attorney General Todd Blanche defended Hegseth in light of the impeachment push, arguing that he "follows the law."

What to Watch

  • Will Trump use the new tariff authority before Xi arrives? Trump is scheduled to meet Xi at the White House on September 24. Any signal from Treasury or the U.S. Trade Representative's office about activating the Russia-oil-buyer tariff mechanism before that meeting would shift the diplomatic stakes immediately.
  • Iran Sanctions Act clock: The Iran provision extends the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996, which was set to expire this year. Watch for any executive action implementing the extension against specific Iranian energy entities.
  • Hegseth impeachment vote, delayed to November: The House won't vote on Massie's resolution to impeach Hegseth until after Election Day. When the chamber returns, Johnson has signaled a tabling motion, but every Republican will still have to cast a recorded vote on whether to kill it.
  • Darline Graham's Senate race: Graham's sister, who holds the senator's vacant seat, is currently running in South Carolina to fill it in November. How she runs on her brother's legacy and this law is now a live campaign question.
  • Shadow fleet enforcement: The law includes specific measures targeting the shadow fleet, Yamal LNG, and Arctic LNG 2. Whether Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control moves quickly against those targets, or sits on the authority, will be the earliest concrete test of the law's teeth.

Sources

WDCM Editorial
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WDCM Editorial is the byline on news and feature stories produced through Washington DC Magazine's editorial process — AI-assisted research, reviewed and approved by Editor-in-Chief Rod Wright.

EDITOR IN CHIEF: RODRIQUEZ WRIGHT II

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