Overview
- The US Senate approved the package by 86–11 on Friday, sending the measure to the House where a vote is unlikely before September because of the chamber’s summer recess.
- Under the Senate text the president could levy steep tariffs on the five largest buyers of Russian energy with initial caps near 100 percent and authority to sanction intermediaries and Russia-linked actors.
- The bill requires re-identifying the top five importers every 180 days and includes a 15 percent gas-import exemption for countries that reduce purchases, plus a clause allowing the president to suspend measures for national security reasons.
- Supporters and allies such as Ukraine and the EU hailed the move as a way to cut Moscow’s war revenue while critics warned it hands the president wide trade power and could strain relations with large buyers like China and India.
- The measure, named for the late Senator Lindsey Graham whose death accelerated final Senate negotiations, also expands sanctions to target Putin, oligarchs, banks and the shadow fleet and leaves final enactment uncertain because of tight House politics.