US House to take up Graham's Russia sanctions bill next week

Editor's note: This article was updated with a later statement released by House Reps. Don Beyer, Gregory Meeks, and Richard Neal.

The U.S. House of Representatives will start considering next week sweeping legislation that would impose tariffs of up to 100% on countries that buy Russian oil and gas.

The House Rules ​Committee scheduled a meeting on the bill spearheaded by the late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham on Sept. 14, potentially clearing the way for the chamber to hold a vote later in the week.

The legislation passed with overwhelming support in the Senate in August but is expected to face stronger opposition in the House, with some House Democrats fearing it would grant U.S. President Donald Trump too much authority over tariffs.

Democratic Reps. Don Beyer, Gregory Meeks, and Richard Neal condemned the bill in a joint statement, saying the legislation would not mandate sanctions against Russia and would give Trump additional authority over tariffs.

"House Democrats are rock solid in our support for Ukraine, but the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia And Iran Act would do more harm than good. This bill would dramatically expand presidential tariff authorities while failing to mandate sanctions on Russia, both of which are unacceptable," the statement read.

Beyer, Meeks, and Neal will continue to pursue bicameral and bipartisan negotiations to deliver on promises to Ukraine and win strong support in both chambers of Congress, they said.

"In the meantime, the President has ample authority to expand sanctions on those fueling Russia's war machine, including those targeted by this bill, and we renew our call on him to do so without further delay," the statement read.

The developments also come shortly before the U.S. midterm elections, in which the Democrats hope to win back control of Congress from the Republican Party.

The bill would give the president authority to impose tariffs of up to 100% on the five largest buyers of Russian oil and natural gas, as well as five countries helping Moscow evade energy sanctions.

China, India, and Turkey are among the largest buyers of Russian oil, while the European Union, China, and Turkey are major importers of Russian natural gas.

The list of targeted countries would be reviewed every 180 days. Countries importing less than 15% of Russia's total natural gas exports and actively reducing those imports would be exempt.

The legislation would also impose sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin and other senior officials, major Russian financial institutions, including the Central Bank, Sberbank, and Gazprombank, and Russian state-owned companies.

It would further target foreign entities supporting Russia's defense-industrial base, major Russian energy projects, and Moscow's so-called shadow fleet, which helps Russia continue exporting oil despite Western sanctions.

Supporters in Congress have presented the legislation as a way to increase pressure on Moscow and demonstrate continued U.S. support for Ukraine.

The Senate vote reflected broad support for tougher measures against Russia. It also came shortly after Graham's death in July, following his return from a visit to Ukraine.