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.
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.
“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.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has led the Democratic opposition to the bill, raising concerns over giving Trump new tariff powers.
After the bill passed, Jeffries told TIME that Trump “cannot be entrusted with new powers to impose tariffs that will further raise costs for American families.”
Shortly after his return to office, Trump implemented global tariffs as part of what he called a “Liberation Day.” Although the majority of those were shut down by a Supreme Court ruling in February that deemed them illegal, his general use—and threatened use—of tariffs has continued to fuel international tensions.
The U.S.-Canada has raised fresh concerns over the financial impact on American consumers.
Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, the top Democrat on the Foreign Affairs Committee, has also raised the alarm about the potential impact on American families.
In a statement to TIME after the vote, Meeks said he found it "regrettable" that lawmakers chose not to “place more guardrails” on the bill’s tariff authorities.
Beyer had delivered a stark warning on the floor ahead of the vote, insisting the bill “would do more harm than good for America and for Ukraine.”
Why other Democratic lawmakers supported the legislation
The legislation’s capacity to economically isolate Russia earned it the bipartisan support needed to get the bill to Trump’s desk.
The bill also includes the potential to expand sanctions on Iran, and comes amid growing concerns from the U.S. over the relationship between Moscow and Tehran. The U.S. Treasury on Monday announced the latest sanctions targeting the Russian bank VTB over allegations it is involved “in Iranian sanctions evasion.”
Kaptur previously said that both the sanctions and tariff measures were “the best chance we have to get bipartisan legislation signed into law to hold Russia accountable and achieve peace.”
How China and India could be impacted by the Russia sanctions bill
The legislation extends Trump the authority to impose tariffs on new and prominent importers of Russian oil and gas.
China and India are two major importers of Russian oil and gas and therefore stand to be the most affected. In August, China was importing roughly 1.25 million barrels of Russian Crude oil daily, according to commodity analysts Kpler via Reuters. India imported record-highs of 2.5 million barrels daily of Russian Crude in June, per Kpler's analysis.
U.S. sanctions have already targeted Russian oil tankers and Moscow’s energy industry in response to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Still, China and India have remained steady buyers, but the threat of tariffs could change the attitude of both countries, experts predict.
While the Supreme Court ruling barring most of Trump’s prior tariffs cited Congressional power to impose tariffs, this argument won’t be applicable if lawmakers attempt to restrict the President’s ability. “In this case, Congress has quite clearly given that authority to the President,” says Elms.
The legislation comes at a crucial time for U.S.-China relations, just a week ahead of President Xi Jinping’s visit to Washington. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is also set to meet with his Chinese counterpart, Vice Premier He Lifeng, this weekend.
Meanwhile, India’s Foreign Ministry responded to the new sanctions bill by saying it was “monitoring further developments." The statement said India "remains firmly committed to ensuring energy security for its 1.4 billion people" and "will continue to do so through diversified sourcing."
Trump threatened tariffs on Indian goods last August in response to Delhi’s continued purchasing of Russian oil. “They don’t care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian war machine,” claimed Trump, days ahead of his meeting with President Vladimir Putin that yielded no concrete results.
After agreeing on a framework for a bilateral trade agreement in February, Delhi and Washington have continued negotiations since.
“India and the U.S. have been supposedly a ‘moment away’ from a bilateral agreement,” says Elms. “I think it is highly unlikely now that India will actually sign that agreement because they are now potentially subject to new tariffs at any time.”
Hence then, the article about democratic leaders fear the new russian sanctions bill could harm americans here s why was published today ( ) and is available on Time ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Democratic Leaders Fear the New Russian Sanctions Bill Could 'Harm' Americans. Here's Why )
Also on site :
- Iconic Revenge Song, Ranked Among ‘Best Breakup Songs of All Time,’ Was Originally Written for Gretchen Wilson
- Tom Cruise Says Taylor Swift Was ‘Schooling Me on Football’ at Chiefs Game, Calls Her a ‘Brilliant Musician and Director’
- ‘The game Buffalo deserved’: Bills Mafia and players share reaction to victory in first game at new stadium