Washington: The US House of Representatives has passed a new law that would allow President Donald Trump impose strong sanctions on Russia and charge very high taxes (tariffs) on countries that keep buying Russian oil and gas.
India and China are the main targets, because they are among the biggest buyers of Russian energy. The bill was approved by the House with 262 votes in favour and 159 against, and will now go to Trump to sign.
The law is called the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026. It is named after Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican who died in July after working for more than a year to get support for this bill. Its main goal is to reduce the money Russia earns from selling oil and gas, so it has less cash to fight the war in Ukraine, as reported by The New Indian Express.
Support And Opposition In Congress
The legislation drew support from 203 Republicans, 58 Democrats and a single Independent, while opposition came from seven Republicans and 152 Democrats. But many Democrats voted against it, not because they oppose sanctions on Russia, but because they do not want to give Trump more power to impose tariffs.
“What we’re not for is giving more tariff authority to this president,” Congressman Richard Neal, a Democrat, said during debate on the bill.
Focus On Russian Oil And Big Buyers
The bill targets Russia’s energy business and the “shadow fleet” of ships that help Moscow sell oil while avoiding existing sanctions. It also allows Trump to put tariffs of up to 100% on the top five countries buying Russian oil and gas, unless they cut their purchases sharply.
“China and India, you better buy your oil and gas somewhere else,” Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, told reporters after the passage of the Bill.
“Russia is getting that oil and gas sold by using the shadow fleet, which means that it’s being bought at less than market rates, and it’s going mostly to countries like China and India,” Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen said.
“China is the top user of Russian oil and gas, and we need to send a very strong message, not just to Putin, but to China, and to anybody who is buying Russian oil and gas, that they are going to pay a price for that,” Shaheen said.
The vote happened on the last day the House will meet before the November 3 elections. It also comes as pro‑Ukraine groups are pushing US lawmakers to keep supporting Kyiv.