The House passed a sweeping Russia sanctions bill 262-159, giving President Trump authority to impose tariffs of up to 100% on countries buying Russian oil and gas. The measure now goes to his desk.
The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a sweeping sanctions and tariff package aimed at increasing economic pressure on Russia over its war in Ukraine, sending the legislation to President Donald Trump for his signature.
The bill cleared the House 262 to 159, capping roughly 18 months of legislative negotiation. It passed the Senate in August by an 86-11 margin. The measure is named the "Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026" in memory of the late South Carolina Republican, who helped negotiate Trump's support for the package before his death earlier this year.
What the bill does
The legislation expands sanctions targeting Russian officials, companies and financial institutions, with a focus on Russia's energy, defence and so-called shadow-fleet sectors — the network of unregistered tankers used to move Russian crude around Western restrictions.
It also grants the president new authority to impose tariffs of up to 100 per cent on countries that continue buying Russian oil and natural gas. China and India, the largest importers of Russian energy, are the primary targets. The bill additionally extends the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996, which was set to expire this year, for a further five years.
A split vote
The tariff provision was the central point of contention. Fifty-eight House Democrats joined most Republicans to advance the bill, while seven Republicans broke with their party to oppose it — a reflection of the ongoing Republican divide over U.S. support for Ukraine.
Representative Don Beyer, Democrat of Virginia, argued the tariff authority lacked adequate limits. "This bill has a loophole that would allow him to define basically any country as a facilitator of evading Russian sanctions," he said. "He could then hit them with tariffs of up to 100%, with no guardrails or oversight, and no expiration."
Supporters cast the vote in moral terms. "This is a moral issue that requires moral courage," said Representative Michael McCaul, Republican of Texas. "I want us to be able to say that we did everything possible to end this war — to cripple the Russian war machine and turn the tide toward peace."
What comes next
The bill now goes to Trump, who has publicly backed the effort but has not yet signed it. Its practical effect will depend heavily on how aggressively the White House chooses to use the tariff authority, particularly toward China and India — a decision with wide implications for global energy markets and U.S. trade relations.
Russian forces continued strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure in the days surrounding the vote. On Wednesday, Russian drones struck a passenger bus and a train in southern Ukraine, killing five people, according to officials.