Republicans Shield Corporate Profits, Undermine Sanctions Bill with Tariff Objections
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Despite broad bipartisan support for a Russia sanctions bill honoring Lindsey Graham, a faction of Republicans is covertly working to protect corporate interests by opposing new tariff powers, prioritizing profits and election optics over global justice and solidarity with Ukraine.
The House passed the Russia sanctions bill, named for the late Senator Lindsey Graham, with a 262-159 vote on Wednesday, advancing crucial legislation to the president’s desk. The bill empowers the administration to impose tariffs of up to 100% on imports from countries complicit in Russia’s war machine by buying its oil and gas, notably targeting China and India, with the U.S. Trade Representative determining the final rates.
While most Republicans supported this important step against authoritarian aggression, a small group of GOP lawmakers have been working behind closed doors to pressure Speaker Mike Johnson and his leadership to remove the new tariff authority. Their reasoning? Fear that these provisions might raise consumer prices before the midterm elections—revealing a willingness to put electoral calculations and corporate profits above the urgent need to hold Russia and its enablers accountable. Johnson’s leadership, however, rejected these self-serving proposals.
Proponents of the bill argue the tariff authority is carefully designed and includes necessary safeguards. Yet critics—including some Democrats and Republicans—warn that it could further concentrate trade power in the executive branch. Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, a co-sponsor, expressed hope after the House vote, citing conversations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. However, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries opposed the measure, questioning the wisdom of expanding presidential authority at the risk of harming working Americans. Three senior Democratic committee chairs also cautioned that the bill could increase prices and erode public support for Ukraine in the long run.
The Senate passed the bill with bipartisan support in August, and it now awaits the president’s signature. The struggle over tariff powers highlights how some in the GOP remain more concerned with shielding corporations and their own political fortunes than standing up for democracy and international justice.