A Russia sanctions bill aimed at increasing pressure on Moscow has cleared the US House of Representatives and is being sent to President Donald Trump’s desk after a 262-159 vote.
The legislation targets Russian officials, companies and financial institutions accused of helping sustain the war in Ukraine. It is intended to increase pressure on the Russian economy and encourage President Vladimir Putin to end the conflict.
The measure also gives the president authority to impose tariffs on countries that import Russian oil and natural gas, including China and India.
That provision drew opposition from Democrats, who warned that it could give Mr Trump broad powers to impose tariffs on countries he deemed to be helping evade sanctions.
“This bill has a loophole that would allow him to define basically any country as a facilitator of evading Russian sanctions,” said Representative Don Beyer, a Democrat from Virginia. “He could then hit them with tariffs of up to 100%, with no guardrails or oversight, and no expiration.”
Fifty-eight House Democrats voted with most Republicans to advance the legislation. Seven Republicans joined most Democrats in opposing it, reflecting divisions within the Republican caucus over continued US support for Ukraine.
The bill passed the Senate by 86 votes to 11 in August. It is named in memory of the late Senator Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina Republican who helped negotiate Mr Trump’s support for the package.
Representative Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican, described the legislation as a matter of moral responsibility.
“I want us to be able to say that we did everything possible to end this war,” Mr McCaul said. “That we understood the threat. That we had the courage to do what was right — to cripple the Russian war machine and turn the tide toward peace.”
