Democratic Leaders Fear the New Russian Sanctions Bill Could 'Harm' Americans. Here's Why

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries speaks to reporters outside of his office at the U.S.

Capitol in Washington on Sept.

17, 2026. —Andrew Harnik—Getty Images The House lawmakers on Wednesday passed legislation paving the way for tough new sanctions on Russia that will target financial institutions and the energy industry, which has largely financed the assault on Ukraine.

The legislation, which now sits with President Donald Trump for signing, has been hailed for its harsher measures on Russia, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky calling it “an extremely powerful tool. ” However, Democratic leaders have expressed grave concern over the broader tariff authority it affords to Trump.

The legislation allows Trump to impose tariffs of up to 100% on countries that make “new purchases of crude oil or natural gas” originating from Russia, or any country among the top five importers of Russian oil or gas over the last 12 months.

According to the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), the top three purchasers of Russian oil and gas in August were China, India, and Turkey.

Deborah Elms, head of trade policy at the Hinrich Foundation, says Trump’s previous ambition to introduce tariffs using any available avenue has ignited the concern among Democrats.

“The reason why people are so nervous about this is that the authority is extremely wide, and has been handed to an Administration that has already shown great latitude to follow the spirit of the law,” Elms tells TIME.

“Tariffs could be set at 100%.

It's really at the discretion of the Executive Branch.” Democratic leaders sound the alarm on “terribly flawed” bill The bipartisan effort, named in honor of the late Republican Sen.

Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who spent the final year of his life building support for the measure, passed with 262 votes to 159.

Some 58 Democrats voted with the majority of Republicans in favor of the bill, despite objections from party leadership.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has led the Democratic opposition to the bill, raising concerns over giving Trump new tariff powers.

“Why in the world would this Congress or the People's House give this President unfettered authority to visit more tariffs on the world that will have an adverse economic impact on the American people?” the New York Representative questioned ahead of the vote.