The House Rules Committee voted 3-7 on Monday against making either amendment eligible for consideration as the chamber prepares to take up the Senate-passed Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026. The committee then approved, by 7-3, a rule allowing a single motion for the House to concur in the Senate amendments to H. R. 5334.
One proposal, sponsored by Democratic Representatives Steny Hoyer of Maryland and Marcy Kaptur of Ohio, sought to specify an initial list of countries whose imports could face duties of up to 100 per cent because of purchases of Russian-origin crude oil or natural gas, or activities facilitating sanctions evasion.
The proposed list comprised China, India, Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Hungary, Slovakia, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. The Senate text does not name individual countries. Instead, it gives the president authority to apply tariffs to countries falling within defined categories linked to large-scale purchases of Russian energy or sanctions evasion.
A separate amendment led by Representative Gregory Meeks of New York, the ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, would have struck Section 113, which authorises the broad secondary tariff mechanism. The proposal was co-sponsored by Democratic Representatives Linda Sánchez, Mike Quigley, Bill Keating, Jamie Raskin and Val Hoyle.
The competing amendments highlighted a central dispute surrounding the legislation: whether Congress should identify the countries most exposed to penalties or remove tariff authority that critics say gives President Donald Trump excessive discretion over trade policy.
The Rules Committee rejected a motion to make the Meeks tariff amendment in order by a 3-7 vote. It rejected the Hoyer-Kaptur amendment by the same margin. Another Democratic proposal seeking to tighten the standard for presidential waivers was also defeated 3-7.
Under the rule reported by the committee, the House would consider a motion to concur in the Senate amendments, with one hour of debate divided between the chair and ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Committee or their designees. The rule does not provide for separate floor votes on the submitted amendments.
The Senate approved the sanctions legislation on August 7 by an 86-11 vote after earlier rejecting, 32-64, an amendment that would have deleted the provision imposing duties on countries purchasing Russian-origin crude oil or natural gas or facilitating sanctions evasion.
The measure would impose primary and secondary sanctions on Russia and actors supporting Moscow’s war in Ukraine. It targets Russian officials, oligarchs, financial institutions and vessels associated with the so-called shadow fleet used to transport energy exports outside established sanctions frameworks.
Section 113 allows the president to impose targeted tariffs of up to 100 per cent on goods imported from countries that are among the largest buyers of Russian crude oil or natural gas, as well as leading jurisdictions facilitating sanctions evasion. Senate sponsors said the provision was designed to pressure major purchasers whose energy payments provide revenue to Moscow.
The legislation limits the tariff mechanism to the five largest importers of Russian crude oil or gas and the top five countries found to be enabling energy-related sanctions evasion. It also contains waiver authority for the president, a provision that has drawn criticism from some House Democrats who argue that the measure simultaneously grants sweeping trade powers while leaving sanctions subject to broad executive discretion.
Supporters have presented the bill as a way to increase economic pressure on Russia and reduce revenue available to finance the war in Ukraine. The package also extends sanctions authorities affecting Iran’s energy and weapons sectors, reflecting revisions negotiated in the Senate before passage.
