Trump has wiped out the sanctions that the Graham Sanctioning Russia Act required him to impose. Congress passed the law, and Trump himself signed it, only weeks ago. Now a growing line of lawmakers, including Republicans, is saying out loud what Kyiv has known for months: the White House is working for Moscow's budget.
The Act He Signed, Then Gutted
Rep. Don Beyer says Trump cancelled every sanction the Graham Act called for, exactly as he and others had warned. In Beyer's words, this is another capitulation to Putin. It betrays Ukrainian partners and defies the clear will of Congress, which passed the law to punish Russia for an illegal war of conquest.
Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta put it more bluntly. The sanctions passed with massive bipartisan support, and Trump signed them himself. Rep. Suhas Subramanyam says Trump is undermining Congress, abandoning Ukraine and letting Putin off the hook. He adds that Republicans blocked a vote on tougher sanctions when Democrats tried to force one.
Per the reporting on the law's text, the order of events matters:
- Trump signs the bill and the law takes effect
- Trump blocks the new tariffs, the personal and sectoral sanctions, the asset freezes and the visa bans, citing US national interest
- The older sanctions from previous executive orders stay in force
- Putin's envoy Kirill Dmitriev calls the decision a truly historic moment
When the Kremlin's own negotiator celebrates your policy, you have your answer about whose side it serves.
Senators Say It's Illegal Too
It has become a broader fight over the law's purpose and who gets to define it. A bipartisan group of seven senators led by Democrat Jeanne Shaheen accuses Trump of violating the 2022 law that bans imports of Russian energy. Sen. Richard Blumenthal says the move effectively puts Trump on the side of the aggressor. Rep. Beyer adds that the law itself is flawed and Congress must fix it. Otherwise a president can simply capitulate to Putin while the statute stays on the books.
The Diesel Deal Feeds the War
The sanctions waiver is tied to Trump's diesel arrangement with Putin, and the Democrats are not buying the sales pitch.
- Rep. Ami Bera says the deal hands Putin millions of dollars to fund the war against the Ukrainian people. It does almost nothing to lower prices at American gas stations. He and 17 colleagues have introduced a bipartisan bill to block it.
- Rep. Josh Gottheimer points out that Trump claimed lifting sanctions would cut diesel prices. Prices are still at record highs while Putin's treasury grows at American taxpayers' expense. He notes Putin is bombing Ukrainian power plants on the eve of winter. The answer, he says, should be maximum pressure, not concessions.
- Rep. Bill Keating co-sponsored a bipartisan bill to kill the diesel deal. It includes his NOPE Act, which tightens oversight so a president cannot cancel Russia sanctions without Congress.
Republicans Are Breaking Ranks
Rep. Don Bacon, a Republican and one of the House's strongest backers of Ukraine, says the president is prolonging the war instead of ending it. Earlier he called the decision disgusting. He also called the administration's silence on Russia's bombing of Ukrainian cities disgusting, and said the president has lost credibility at home and abroad. Mike Pence has also condemned the move as senseless and a betrayal of the legacy of the late Senator Lindsey Graham, and Russia continues its attacks on civilians. Criticism from Democrats is expected. Republicans doing it in public weeks before the midterms is a different signal.
The Tariff Trap
The law has a second problem built into it. As passed, it forces no tariffs or sanctions on Russia. It only hands the president extra tariff powers. Beyer warns that Trump could turn those new trade powers against American allies and trading partners. He names Mexico, Canada, the UK, Japan, South Korea and the EU. Russia itself is never touched, and neither are the buyers of its oil in India, Turkey, China and Belarus. The authors watered the law down for exactly this reason, and those who warned about it turned out to be right.
Starlink as the Second Betrayal
Rep. Emanuel Cleaver calls the decision to restrict Ukraine's access to Starlink a betrayal of Ukrainians fighting for freedom against Russian attack. He says it damages America's reputation and alliances worldwide. The reported order limiting Ukrainian use of the satellite system for battlefield communications comes at the same time as the sanctions waiver. Ease the pressure on the aggressor and throttle the victim's drones in one week.
What Congress Says Comes Next
Rep. Mike Quigley, with Jim Costa and fellow Ukraine Caucus co-chairs, says they will push the US to keep its sanctions promise and enforce a law passed only weeks ago. Subramanyam wants Congress back in Washington to restore its authority and pass tougher sanctions. Keating wants Republicans to take up the NOPE Act when members return. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan keeps it simple: Russia is our enemy, Ukraine is our ally.
Sanctions on paper have always been optional for this White House. Ukrainian drones hitting Russian refineries, depots and ports are the sanctions nobody can waive. They will keep landing whatever Washington signs or cancels.