On September 18, President Trump signed a directive that nullifies certain sanctions prescribed by the Graham Act. The directive gives Trump a 30-day window to identify individuals and organizations that meet the criteria for new sanctions.
In his statement, Trump indicated, “With this directive, I am waiving the application of any tariffs outlined in Sections 112 and 113 of the Graham Act. I have submitted to Congress confirmation that issuing this waiver aligns with the national interests of the United States, along with a report explaining the rationale for this assertion.”
According to Politico, the White House has not elaborated on how this decision serves U.S. interests.
Fox News analysis notes that Trump’s directive does not affect all sanctions imposed on Russia under previous orders, and it retains the option to reinstate sanctions in the future.
Bloomberg highlights that the revocation of tariffs may trigger significant backlash from Congress members, particularly many Republicans who are upset over Trump’s recent decision regarding Russian diesel fuel. This week, a bipartisan group of senators sent a letter urging Trump to reverse his agreement with Russia’s illegitimate President Vladimir Putin and enforce the provisions of the Graham Act.
Former U.S. State Department sanctions coordinator Daniel Fried commented, “A week after finalizing the diesel fuel deal, the Trump administration is easing pressure on Russia.”
Context
- The legislation targets sanctions against Russian officials and grants the U.S. President authority to impose 500% tariffs on Russian oil, gas, petroleum products, petrochemicals, and coal imported into the U.S.; it also includes secondary 100% tariffs for countries that import Russian oil and gas or assist in evading sanctions. The new tariff powers are limited to five years.
- On August 7, the U.S. Senate endorsed the bill with 86 votes in favor and 11 against. The U.S. House of Representatives passed the bill on September 17, with support from 262 members, mostly Republicans. The outlet “GORDON” has gathered insights into why Democrats opposed the updated document.
