A bill moving through Congress that would impose sweeping sanctions against Russia could hand President Donald Trump even more authority to enact tariffs.
The bill — originally proposed by late Senator Lindsey Graham — would allow Trump to put forth 500% tariffs against Russian imports, as well as 100% levies against the largest importers of Russian oil and gas, and nations that help Russia evade sanctions. According to The New York Times, those tariffs could cover billions of dollars worth of imports from China, India and the European Union. The bill also contains broad language that allows Trump to determine which countries are the biggest buyers of Russian energy.
The U.S. Senate overwhelmingly moved the legislation to a final vote by an 86-12 margin on July 28, even in the face of pushback from business lobbyists over what would represent a significant expansion of the White House's tariff powers.
“Tariffs of this scale would increase costs for everyday consumer goods, manufacturing inputs and other products while creating significant uncertainty for companies making sourcing, pricing and inventory decisions months in advance," said a coalition of trade associations in a letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
Despite an early 2026 Supreme Court ruling that overturned White House tariffs enacted under the International Economic Emergency Act, President Trump has been insistent that he should be able to unilaterally impose levies to better manage U.S. trade relationships. Hours after separate global 10% tariffs expired on July 24, the White House introduced new 10-12.5% levies against 60 economies, tied to allegations that several nations hadn't effectively dealt with forced labor. A group of small businesses immediately filed two legal challenges against those tariffs, opening up yet another protracted legal battle over the Trump administration's trade policies.
