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US Senate Advances 100% Tariff Bill Targeting Buyers of Russian Oil and Gas
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The US Senate advanced sweeping Russian energy sanctions, clearing a procedural hurdle as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the Capitol on the day of Senator Lindsey Graham's funeral, according to Reuters on July 28.
The vote to advance the bill passed 86-12, with 11 Democrats and Kentucky Republican Rand Paul opposed.
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Reuters reported that the measure must survive further Senate votes before final passage, and that the House of Representatives will not take it up until it returns in September.
Nicknamed the "sanctions from hell," the legislation would penalize Russian officials and authorize tariffs of up to 100% on countries that keep buying Russian oil and gas, with China and India the primary targets.
It also takes aim at Russia's shadow fleet, the network of aging tankers the Kremlin uses to evade Western sanctions.
By July 16, the bill had gathered enough support to survive a filibuster, with at least 61 co-sponsors, 39 of them Republicans and 22 Democrats.
Graham was among Kyiv's most outspoken allies in Congress during the four-year war in Ukraine and authored the bill. Zelenskyy came to Washington for the funeral and to meet Trump.
He told reporters beforehand that the sanctions would hit Russia's ability to finance the war. "It's also a big signal to Europe, big signal to Ukraine, big support of our people, so I'm very thankful," he added.
Senator Richard Blumenthal, a co-sponsor who traveled to Ukraine repeatedly with Graham, predicted the bill would become law. "This bill is the one that will pass. This bill is the one that the president will sign," he told a news conference after the vote.
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Some Democrats have signaled they would oppose the bill, warning that the tariff authority could raise import costs for American families. Reuters noted those concerns threaten its prospects in the Senate and the House alike.
The bill was formally unveiled on July 15 after months of negotiation between both parties and the White House. Trump had signaled on July 13 that he would sign it as a personal tribute to Graham.
Graham died on July 11 at 71, a day after returning from his tenth diplomatic mission to Kyiv.
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