# Trump's Russia sanctions bill gives him sweeping tariff power > Democrats worry new legislation lets Trump impose punishing tariffs on countries buying Russian energy, potentially harming American families. - Title: Trump's Russia sanctions bill gives him sweeping tariff power - Summary: Democrats worry new legislation lets Trump impose punishing tariffs on countries buying Russian energy, potentially harming American families. While the… - Keywords: russia sanctions, trump tariffs, ukraine, democratic opposition, china, india, energy imports, hakeem jeffries, don beyer, congress, trade policy, Trump's - Source: TIME — https://time.com/article/2026/09/17/russian-sanctions-bill-trump-new-tariffs-power-democrats-backlash - Author: Callum Sutherland - Published: 2026-09-18T19:36:22+00:00 - Read time: 3 min - Topics: russia sanctions, trump tariffs, ukraine, democratic opposition, china, india, energy imports, hakeem jeffries, don beyer, congress, trade policy ## Trump signs sweeping Russia sanctions bill The legislation targets Russia's financial institutions and energy sector, which has funded the war on Ukraine. It also extends sanctions on Iran's energy and weapons sectors. ## Zelensky praises the new sanctions Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the bill an extremely powerful tool for holding Russia accountable. > an extremely powerful tool ## But Democrats fear tariff authority The law allows Trump to impose tariffs up to 100% on countries making new purchases of Russian crude oil or natural gas. Democratic leaders worry this gives him too much power. ## China, India, Turkey are top buyers According to the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air, the top three purchasers of Russian oil and gas in August were China, India, and Turkey. ## Trump has shown willingness to use tariffs Trade policy experts say Trump's track record of imposing tariffs through any available avenue has alarmed Democrats about this new authority. > The authority is extremely wide, and has been handed to an Administration that has already shown great latitude to follow the spirit of the law. ## House passes bill with bipartisan support The Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 passed 262 to 159 on Wednesday. Fifty-eight Democrats voted with Republicans despite party leadership objections. ## Jeffries warns of economic harm House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries led Democratic opposition, saying the bill could give Trump an additional tool to harm American people through tariffs. > give the President an additional tool to visit economic harm on the American people ## Tariffs already costing American households The Yale Budget Lab estimated that household costs due to tariffs total about one thousand one hundred dollars annually under current law. ## Many Americans struggle with costs The Urban Institute found that forty-nine percent of people in American families don't have resources to cover essential expenses to live securely in their community. ## Beyer calls bill terribly flawed Rep. Don Beyer of Virginia said the bill is well intentioned but terribly flawed, warning Trump has abused every tariff authority Congress has given him. > well intentioned, but terribly flawed ## Beyer warns of loopholes and abuse Beyer argued the bill would allow Trump to define any country as a facilitator of Russian sanctions evasion and hit them with tariffs up to 100% with no guardrails or oversight. ## Some Democrats support Russia sanctions Rep. Marcy Kaptur of Ohio, who co-chairs the Congressional Ukraine Caucus, supports the bill as the best chance for bipartisan legislation to hold Russia accountable. ## China and India face tariff threat China imported roughly one point two five million barrels of Russian crude oil daily in August. India imported record highs of two point five million barrels daily in June. ## China opposes the tariff measures Beijing said it opposes long-arm jurisdiction and unilateral sanctions that have no basis in international law. > China opposes long-arm jurisdiction and unilateral sanctions that have no basis in international law ## India warns of energy security concerns India's Foreign Ministry said it remains committed to ensuring energy security for its one point four billion people and will continue sourcing through diversified suppliers. ## India unlikely to sign trade deal now After agreeing on a framework for a bilateral trade agreement in February, India is now unlikely to sign because it faces potential new tariffs at any time. ## Key takeaway While the Russia sanctions bill has bipartisan support for punishing Moscow, it grants Trump broad authority to impose tariffs up to 100% on major oil importers like China and India, raising concerns about costs for American consumers.