Dispute has arisen in U.S. Congress over sanctions bill against Russia
Democrats in the U.S. Congress are concerned about a sanctions bill against Russia that could grant Donald Trump broad authority to impose tariffs of up to 100% on imports from countries that purchase Russian energy resources.
According to Censor.NET, Reuters reports on this.
The bill provides for the possibility of imposing tariffs of up to 100% on goods from countries that are the largest buyers of Russian oil and gas.
The document, drafted by Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee, notes that the list of countries subject to such tariffs could be constantly expanded, and that vague criteria for determining which countries are subject to them grant the president overly broad discretionary powers.
Furthermore, the bill lacks a mechanism that would allow Congress to overturn decisions to impose tariffs, and the president’s authority is not time-limited.
Criticism from Democrats
Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, supported the bill’s sanctions provisions targeting Russia’s "shadow fleet" and energy sector but criticized its tariff provisions.
According to him, the bill effectively gives Donald Trump new tools to impose tariffs, particularly against the U.S.’s European allies, which could negatively impact the U.S. economy and consumers.
What the updated bill entails
The updated version of the Graham-Blumenthal bill provides for sanctions against Russian officials, banks, and energy projects, as well as a new mechanism for applying tariff pressure on countries that continue to purchase Russian energy resources.
Unlike the initial version, which proposed a blanket tariff of 500%, the new version allows for tariffs of up to 100% to be imposed only on the five largest importers of Russian oil and natural gas.
At the same time, the document includes exemptions for countries that import less than 15% of their gas from Russia and are demonstrating a reduction in that dependence. The bill also allows the U.S. president to waive the sanctions if doing so is in the national interest.
According to aides to senators, the bill has already been endorsed by 26 co-sponsors, and that number may grow in the near future.
