Industry Odisha Bureau, Sep 15: Time is running short in the US House. Lawmakers have filed rival amendments to the Russia sanctions bill. One would name India among nations facing steep tariffs. Another would drop the tariff clause entirely.
The Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act cleared the Senate 86-11 last month. It targets Russian leadership, its energy sector, and the “shadow fleet” ferrying sanctioned oil. Washington argues these exports fund Moscow’s war effort.
The bill also empowers President Donald Trump to impose 100 per cent tariffs on Russia’s largest oil buyers, including China and India. As passed by the Senate, it identifies these countries only by volume, not by name.
Democratic Congressman Steny Hoyer’s amendment changes that. It would explicitly list China, India, Turkiye, Azerbaijan, Hungary, the Slovak Republic, the UAE, Singapore, Kazakhstan, and the Kyrgyz Republic as tariff targets.
A counter move comes from Democratic Congressman Gregory Meeks, a vocal critic of expanding presidential tariff powers. His amendment seeks to strike Section 113 altogether, removing the tariff authority in full. Three co sponsors back the proposal.
Meeks has floated a separate waiver mechanism too. It would let the President exempt a foreign entity from sanctions for 90 days, renewable if deemed vital to US national security. He has also proposed a $15 billion loan package to help Ukraine procure defence equipment.
The House Rules Committee released the amendments on Monday. Lawmakers have just four working days before recessing ahead of the November 3 midterms, leaving little room for deliberation.
The outcome will shape New Delhi’s exposure. India currently draws roughly $40 billion in annual oil trade from Russia, a relationship now hanging on the House’s next move.
