The House will vote next week on a sweeping Russia sanctions bill that hands the White House vast new tariff powers to punish countries buying Russian energy — a bipartisan deal that risks spiking fuel and food prices for American workers while the military-industrial complex cashes in.
The "Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026" sailed through the Senate 86-11 and now heads to the House floor after weeks of quiet stalling by Republican leadership. The bill would let President Trump slap 100% tariffs on the five biggest buyers of Russian oil and gas — China, India, and Turkey top the list — plus five more countries accused of helping Moscow evade existing sanctions. The stated goal: squeeze Russia over Ukraine. The cost: higher prices for ordinary Americans so Washington can keep writing blank checks for a foreign war with no exit strategy.
Follow the money. The bill is named after the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of Congress's loudest Ukraine hawks and a reliable vote for every military spending package that crossed his desk. Graham spent more than two years developing this legislation, according to Europe Says, and the Senate rubber-stamped it with the kind of lopsided bipartisan supermajority that usually means the public is getting sold out.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and retail industry associations have pushed back hard, drafting a letter urging Congress to strip the tariff authority from the bill. "We urge Congress to remove the tariff authority from the bill and instead focus on targeted sanctions, stepped-up enforcement against sanctions evasion, and coordinated diplomacy with nations purchasing Russian energy," the groups stated, as reported by Europe Says. Their concern: giving the White House "fresh legal grounds for expansive tariffs" that raise costs for importers and consumers.
Some House Democrats have voiced their own concerns — not about the sanctions themselves, but about expanding Trump's tariff authority, which they fear he could turn against U.S. allies, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Some Republicans, meanwhile, are worried about midterm blowback if voters feel the pinch, Reuters reported.
But the real story is what both parties agree on: another round of economic warfare that treats American consumers as collateral damage. The bill demands that other nations cut off Russian energy or face American tariffs — putting U.S. agriculture and energy exports squarely in the crosshairs of retaliation from some of the world's largest economies.
Speaker Mike Johnson had been noncommittal on the bill, and House Republican leadership showed little momentum to bring it to the floor after the summer recess, Europe Says reported. Now, following a Republican retreat, leadership has decided to move forward — with the White House's backing.
The Senate voted 86-11 to hand a deceased Ukraine hawk a legacy bill. Next week the House decides whether American workers pay for it.
