After a careful review of HR5334, the Lindsey Graham Russian Sanctions Bill [pdf HERE], I can certainly see why President Trump would happily sign it.
The bill has several elements that are immensely useful for President Trump, beginning with the fact that the baseline of the bill sits upon the cornerstone of current U.S. sanctions against Russia. This is a critical aspect to understand, because if you take away the originating Russian sanctions, HR5334 disappears.
Secondly, the bill grants President Trump the ability to place 100% tariffs on the top five trading partners of Russia, but the bill also grants wide latitude as to how those top five are determined. Top five oil, top five gas, top five financial, top five sector specific (energy, grain, oil, minerals etc.) the actual parameters or definitions of the “top five” are undetermined except by monetary value.
Some have just realized what this bill empowers. Others have yet to catch on. Additionally, The bill gives President Trump the ability to impose tariffs of up to 100% within 30 days on all goods imported into the US from the five largest importers of Russian crude oil or gas as well as any country that knowingly made new purchases of oil or gas 30 days after the law was enacted or was among the top five countries helping Russia evade sanctions.
But there’s the key, again the authority is based on the pre-existing “sanctions.” So, who determines sanction relief? [interim, temporary, or strategic, in coordination with the policy objectives of the President] That would be U.S. Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent.
Remember the previous 30-day interim sanction relief that Bessent and Trump provided for Russian oil/gas “on the water’? In that scenario, the legislatively authorized tariff authority becomes entirely subject to the application determination of President Trump. Ex. give a 30-day waiver and suddenly oil/gas are no longer the largest monetary trade issues. Instead, it could be as simple as who buys the most Russian caviar; maybe it’s Italy or Spain, or even Canada. lol 😂
Reuters – […] critics say the legislation, which imposes tariffs on Russia’s biggest trading partners, has broad language that could herald trouble for other countries as well if they find themselves in Trump’s crosshairs in the future.
The bill requires Trump to impose tariffs of up to 100% within 30 days on all goods imported into the US from the five largest importers of Russian crude oil or gas as well as any country that knowingly made new purchases of oil or gas 30 days after the law was enacted or was among the top five countries helping Russia evade sanctions.
China and India are among the biggest buyers of Russian oil, but critics say the law gives US officials enough leeway to name a range of targets since it does not name any country or spell out how the top-five lists would be calculated.
“Given the discretionary authority that the president has, it is likely to be abused,” said Laura Brank, a lawyer at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner who focuses on cross-border transactions.
[…] Challenging the latest tariffs in court could be difficult since the law specifically calls for the duties, while previous challenges to tariffs have successfully argued that the Trump administration misapplied laws from decades earlier. (more)
Congress was very upset at the horrible Trump for his tariff approach.
Congress has just given Trump a golden tariff pen.
Cheers!
If there is a millimeter, President Trump will find a way to build a 4 lane superhighway and possibly a casino and hotel resort through it.
Turn about is fair play.
This time around, some good can come of it rather than bad.
with gold ornamention
Funny how Congress passed the Russian sanction tariffs with no problem but wouldn’t pass the Save America Act? I don’t see any reason for celebrating.
How long before a biden/obama judge brings this to a halt?
These “judges” need to stay in their own dad-gum lane.
Not a single federal judge stopped the IEEPA Tariffs even after six district courts, appeals court and customs courts heard the cases in trial and ruled the IEEPA Tariff was both illegal and unconstitutional.
On the other hand, President Trump’s immigration, deportation and budget actions are restrained, TRO’d and earn injunctions within days and before the case is even heard.
There must be a reason?
I suppose that depends on how long it takes a couple of lawyers to write the first request for an injunction. Not later than Monday probably.
Methinks we may still be “WINNING”!!!
Oh the beauty of the duties because of the Ruskies! 😂 President Trump let it ripppp!
Let the games begin…I’ve always appreciated those who can play 3 dimensional chess!
I’m the House Scott just did it
Can’t the Senate still scratch this?
Senate passed it. Trump just SIGNED it 🤗
It passed the House & Senate and was just signed by the President. They would have to pass a new bill to amend, or repeal it.
Last I knew Congress Critters were going on vacation for most of the rest of the year. Might have to cut the vacations short and work some more before the election and holiday season.
” The U.S. House is scheduled to leave Washington on Wednesday evening for a seven-week district work period ”
https://www.businessreport.com/article/house-members-exit-dc-without-addressing-ai
The Senate is busy giving Blood Products to keep McConnell – pink in color
Them giving their own blood? Do they know what personal charity is? Altruism, just not seeing it.
Pacts signed in blood they might know more about.
If the law is being “abused” then the ones to blame are those who wrote the law and not the one who operates within its explicit instructions and limitations.
DEFINE ” abuse of discretionary authority ”
definition by WEF, NGOs, EU, Iran, who gets to DEFINE ?
But Congress has not written a law in years. 5 large lobbyist firms, full of lawyers, write almost all of them. They are paid by the wealthiest and largest corporations and in turn donate to Congressional Cartel campaigns. Most never even bother reading bills but vote the way their aides, who are paid by the law firms, tell them to.
I’m sorry, not sorry…
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
The wailing and gnashing of teeth coming from Congress must be loud after they realize what they have handed President Trump. Putting Lindsey Graham’s name on the bill is icing on the cake.
Guess they should have read the bill BEFORE they passed it.
Does anyone in Congress do their job anymore? K Street lobbyists write almost all legislation, but Congress critters (or their staff) still need to read it. (Don’t get me wrong: I’m very glad Trump and WE the People benefit from their unforced error 😉
Reading AND comprehension: apparently not very strong skills on Capitol Hill.
I have read a couple of accounts that stated that Congress is using AI to write bills.
That frees them up to trade stocks, party and make money stream deals.
I want my Kaspersky back.
Q1. Where does EUkraine get its Oil & Gas from?
A. Mainly Poland and Romania.
Q2. Where does Poland and Romania get their Oil & Gas from?
A. Mainly Russia!
BETTER THAN a Box of Whitman’s Chocolates !
Good, now ease the Russian sanctions and nail the EU and it’s associate members hard.
PARDON THE INTERRUPTION
FNN, PMSNOW and PUNKLITICO BANNED from the White House!
👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2026/09/18/president-trump-bans-cnn-msnow-and-politico-from-the-white-house/
CNN banned.
I would love FNN to be banned.
so do I understand this right…… Saudi Arabia shuts down a pipe carrying oil to Europe. Europe’s gonna have to buy oil from Russia. Trump can tariff European goods because they’re buying oil from Russia?
How’d Congress let that happen?
Checkmate, I don’t think EU is “allowed” to trade with Russia for oil due to WWReddit. However, we are pumping a fair bit and seem to have come into a country oozing with crude in SA.
Now you are seeing what PDJT has been handed, more options.
SOME ” play ” Checkers – TRUMP PLAYS CHESS
>>> VERY FEW of the congressmembers KNOW that TRUE INTENT of the BILLS and Their RESULTING RAMIFICATIONS after Passage. THE STAFF WRITES THE BILL and in That FACT, the STAFF IS RESPONSIBLE
( but NOT; BECAUSE They ARE NOT ELECTED and WILL PROBABLY STAY in D.C. AFTER the ” MEAT PUPPET ” Leaves Office )
5 Moves AHEAD At LEAST with TREASURY SEC BISSENT and Director PETER NAVARRO
Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy.
https://oldschoolchess.com/learn/compare/chess-vs-checkers
Yep.
The Russia sanctions bill sanctions everybody but Russia.
OH, THIS IS Juicy !
” The bill gives President Trump the ability to impose tariffs of up to 100% within 30 days on all goods imported into the US from the five largest importers of Russian crude oil or gas as well as any country that knowingly made new purchases of oil or gas 30 days after the law was enacted or was among the top five countries helping Russia evade sanctions. ”
House of SAUD said to EUROPE ( the EU ) -> SORRY, NO OIL FOR YOU !
https://www.straitstimes.com/world/middle-east/saudi-aramco-will-not-supply-european-oil-refiners-with-crude-in-october-sources
What a wonderful web we weave …… Graham’s web.
Silly Congress.
Lindsey, just handed a gift to our president from the other side.
Thank you!
I’ll need to see this in action first.
The biggest downside IMO is the tariff mechanism. The duties can apply broadly to goods coming from targeted countries, so American importers, businesses, and consumers will likely bear much higher costs, especially if major trading partners are affected or retaliate.
It’s a fact that US importers bear nearly the full tariff cost.
The obsession with tariffs is crazy. Business schools will be studying the past couple years for a long time to come.
War, not trade
It’s a fact that importers often absorb some or all of the tariff in order to preserve market share 😎
A lot of importers also have a not insignificant spread on their margins.
Given the tariffs are on wholesale prices, that is a relatively small portion of what will end up in the retail pricing.
Case in point, refer back to this mechanism in action during President Trump’s first term.
Is this why President Trump gave Lindsey Graham a pass? Endorsed him etc? Did they work this out between them? Questions, Questions.
This is just absurd. Nothing in either law or morality gives the US the right to tell country A (which the US is not at war with) that it may not engage in peaceful trade with country B (which the US is also not at war with).
We’re basically trying to tell China, India, and every other country on the planet that they are subordinate to us and must follow the dictates of the US government. There is no way this can possibly end well for us.
To make things even more absurd, we’re doing all this supposedly in the defense of “national sovereignty”!