Sanctions — 2026-08-13

US House Introduces Graham Sanctions Act Targeting Russia Oil Revenue and Shadow Fleet

BLUFHouse passage of the identical companion bill by year-end 2026 is likely, which would arm the president with tariff authority capable of reshaping Chinese and Indian crude purchasing patterns.

A bipartisan group of House members, led by Republicans Michael McCaul and Brian Fitzpatrick and Democrat Steny Hoyer, introduced the companion Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 on August 10, using text identical to the Senate-passed version, per Congress.gov 1. The bill would authorize tariffs of up to 100% on the largest buyers of Russian oil and gas, with China and India as top targets, exempting countries that import less than 15% of their natural gas from Russia and are taking significant steps to reduce those imports, and would permit sanctions on shadow-fleet tankers, owners, operators, insurers, and ports that move sanctioned Russian crude 12. It also imposes primary and secondary sanctions on Russian banks, officials, and defense-industrial entities, folds in an extension of the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996, and allows relief only if the president certifies to Congress that Russia has signed a peace deal accepted by an independent Ukrainian government and halted hostilities 1. The Senate passed its version 86-11 on August 7, and Euromaidan Press reports a House floor vote is expected this fall once the chamber returns from recess on August 31 2.

Analysis
House passage of the identical companion text by year-end 2026 is likely, resting on the Senate's 86-11 margin and the White House's prior sign-off on tariff scope, which removed the chief historical obstacle to floor action. Confidence in this judgment is low, since no committee markup date or whip count beyond the bill's introduction has surfaced, and the chamber remains in recess until August 31. Passage would trigger presidential authority for tariffs up to 100% on Chinese and Indian oil purchases and blacklist shadow-fleet tankers, owners, and insurers, tightening the revenue stream funding Russia's war just as Ukrainian strikes have already cut refining capacity.

2 sources

H.R.5334 - Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 - Congress.gov
US House takes up Graham sanctions bill targeting Russia oil money and shadow fleet - Euromaidan Press