A view of the dome of the U.S. Capitol building on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. U.S.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday (September 16, 2026) passed a legislation targeting Russia’s energy sector, individuals and “shadow fleet” of tankers, including authorising the U.S. President to impose tariffs of up to 100% on India and other countries for buying oil and gas from Russia. The House voted 262-159 in favour of the Bill.
The Bill, which will now be sent President Donald Trump for his signature, could result in significant U.S. tariffs on India.
This Bill comes as New Delhi and Washington have been negotiating a preliminary trade deal, while India has increased its purchase of Russian oil in comparison to last year. The President will have the authority, under the legislation, to waive sanctions in national interest.
What the Bill says on potential target countries
Countries that would be potential targets for the tariff are the top five “largest importers, by total volume” of Russian-origin crude oil or natural gas in the 12 months preceding the date of enactment of the law, and have knowingly made new purchases of Russian crude oil after 30 days from the date the Bill becomes law.
A country that is among the top five countries “facilitating Russian oil sanctions evasion” would also be eligible for the tariffs of up to 100%.
Countries that have taken significant steps to reduce their Russian natural gas imports or whose gas import was less than 15% of Russia’s total gas export, would be exempt from the sanctions.
A House amendment proposed by Democrat Steny Hoyer that sought to name the top 10 importers — China, India, Turkiye, Azerbaijan, Hungary, Slovakia, the UAE and the Kyrgyz Republic — had not passed into the final version considered on Wednesday (September 16, 2026).
New Delhi’s import of Russian oil hit a 11-month high in April this year following the U.S. and Israel’s war with Iran.
Earlier, India had cut back on purchases of Russian oil, hitting a 38-month low in December 2025. The Trump administration had announced an additional 25%, on top of an existing 25%, tariff on India for the purchase of Russian energy. The U.S. Treasury paused sanctions for oil shipments that were in transit before March 11, 2026, as supplies were hit following the U.S.-Iran conflict.
The latest Bill, an amendment to the Senate’s “Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026”, will now head to President Donald Trump’s desk for his signature.
Concerns over sweeping powers to the President
The Bill, named for a prominent Ukraine supporter Mr, Graham — who died suddenly on July 11 this year — had passed the Senate 86-11 on August 7. Several prominent Democrats like Elizabeth Warren and those caucusing with Democrats like Bernie Sanders, as well as some Republicans, such as Rand Paul, had opposed the Bill, concerned over the sweeping powers it would give the President or the cost it would impose, via tariffs, on Americans.
Several lawmakers have been concerned that the ability of Mr. Trump to impose tariffs on U.S. allies —such as Canada and the European Union in its entirety— would be bolstered by the Act.
The Ranking Member (i.e., from the chamber’s minority or Democratic party) of the House Foreign Affairs Committee (HFAC), Gregrory Meeks, criticised the Bill. “We cannot grant the President more tariff power that , we know, he will abuse,” Mr. Meeks said, adding that it would cost at least $3000 per American family, assuming Mr. Trump restricted tariffs on the top five importers of Russian oil.
In remarks on Tuesday (September 15, 2026), Mr. Meeks had emphasised that he supported sanctions on Russia, arguing that the President already had powers to sanction Russia but was not using them.
Published – September 17, 2026 04:42 am IST
