A group of US congressmen have introduced a large-scale bill in the US House of Representatives to drastically strengthen economic sanctions against Russia and Iran, reports The Hill.
The text of the document was officially introduced on behalf of 18 lawmakers, led by Republican Michael McCaul and Democrat Steny Hoyer, and is completely identical to the package that the US Senate approved by an overwhelming majority of 86 to 11 votes on August 7.
The bill is named after the famous Senator Lindsey Graham, who died in July 2026 and for whom these measures were a major political legacy. The new legislative initiative aims to block key revenues for Moscow and deal a direct blow to the shadowy tanker fleet, Russian oligarchs and state banks.
What do the new sanctions against Russia provide?
The document gives unprecedented powers to US President Donald Trump to reorganize global trade chains. Among the main measures in the bill are:
- Tariffs up to 500% on absolutely all direct imports from Russia to the USA;
- Imposition of 100 percent tariffs on goods from countries that are among the largest buyers of Russian energy resources (oil, gas and uranium), including India and China;
- Full Allied Pressure on the Five Largest Russian Energy Importers;
- Complete ban on Russian uranium imports and regular restrictions against the state corporation “Rosatom“;
- Direct sanctions against the Central Bank of Russia, Sberbank, VTB and Gazprombank.
Despite the radical tone, the bill also provides for a five-year term for the new presidential powers, as well as exceptions for countries whose imports of Russian gas are less than 15% of their total consumption and at the same time take steps to completely stop it.
Trade War or Diplomatic Pressure?
Although the introduction of the document is an important political demonstration of bipartisan support, the actual vote on the bill in the lower house is not expected until September 2026 due to the summer parliamentary recess of Congress. Reuters notes that the debates in the House of Representatives will be significantly more contested than in the Senate. A number of congressmen have expressed concerns that granting the authority to impose such high tariffs on third countries could backfire on the American and global economies.
According to the Russian newspaper Kommersant, the White House is already actively calculating the potential risks of deteriorating relations with strategic partners. As evidence of this, the urgent phone call held on August 8 between US Vice President J.D. Vance and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is cited, in which the two countries confirmed the stability of their strategic partnership despite the pending law.
If approved by the House of Representatives, the law will require the final signature of President Donald Trump to enter into force.