Washington: US House of Representatives voted to advance a bill that would authorise President Donald Trump to impose 100 per cent tariffs on India and other countries for buying oil and gas from Russia and extend existing sanctions on Iran.
The Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 cleared a procedural hurdle in the House of Representatives on Tuesday evening after two Democratic lawmakers broke ranks with the party and voted in favour with the Republicans.
The resolution to advance the Russia sanctions bill and a slew of other legislations was approved by a 214-211 vote, shocking the House Democratic leadership.
The bill is expected to come up for a final vote in the House on Wednesday.
Democratic Congressman Gregory Meeks, the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, on Monday opposed the Russia sanctions bill contending that it would grant President Trump unchecked authority to impose tariffs without any guardrails.
Last month, the US Senate passed the bill with an overwhelming 86-11 majority. The bill seeks to impose sanctions not only on Russia’s leadership and energy sector, but also on the “shadow fleet” of vessels that enable Moscow to evade sanctions on oil deliveries.
The vote on the bill is taking place at a time when pro-Ukraine groups have stepped up efforts to lobby support for their cause.
The Ukraine Action Summit, organised by the American Coalition for Ukraine, is underway here to lobby with US lawmakers for continued support of Kyiv.
The US believes that Russia’s crude oil trade is funding the war against Ukraine. The Bill also seeks to authorise President Donald Trump to impose 100 per cent tariffs on Russia’s top oil trading partners including China and India.
The bill passed by the US Senate on August 7 does not name Russia’s trading partners, but mentions five largest importers of oil and gas by volume.
The bill has to be passed by the House of Representatives before it is sent to the President for signature. The House breaks into early recess on Thursday and is expected to reconvene on November 9 after the midterm elections.