Democrats begrudgingly hand Trump victory on tariffs in sprawling sanctions bill

Several Democrats voted with Republicans to pass a sweeping sanctions package targeting Russia on Wednesday, handing President Donald Trump a key authority the left has long raged against.The House of Representatives passed the Lindsey O.Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, named after the late Republican senator who was one of Ukraine's biggest champions in Congress until his sudden death in July.It comes despite opposition from key Democrats over a provision giving Trump tariff authority over countries fueling Russia's war in Ukraine.HOUSE DEMS FACE TRUMP TARIFF DILEMMA AS MAJOR RUSSIA SANCTIONS BILL HEADS TO FLOORPresident Donald Trump takes the stage to speak on the second day of the 2026 Republican National Convention at the American Airlines Center on September 10, 2026 in Dallas, Texas.

(Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)"What we're not for is, giving more tariff authority to this president.There is no guarantee in this legislation that the president could not use these tariffs against Ukraine if he decided to do so.

There is no guarantee in this legislation that the president can impose these tariffs on Russia, with the enthusiasm that our friends on the other side have offered," Rep.Richard Neal, D-Mass., said during debate on the bill.House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said, "The manner in which this bill has been written doesn't require the president of the United States to impose sanctions on Russia.

In fact, there are so many loopholes written into the bill, I believe that it's very unlikely that the sanctions relief contemplated in the legislation will ever see the light of day."LINDSEY GRAHAM'S FINAL MISSION TO PUNISH PUTIN CLEARS SENATE AFTER YEARLONG FIGHTThe bill was led in the House by Rep.Michael McCaul, R-Texas, a longtime supporter of Ukraine.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, meets with Sen.

Lindsey Graham in Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 18, 2024.(Ukrainian Presidency/Anadolu via Getty Images)"This is a critical tim...