'Getting paid by Putin': Democrats criticise Trump's waiver of sanctions under Lindsey Graham Act

Washington: Several US representatives and democrats have strongly criticised President Donald Trump decision to waive sanctions related to Russian fuel sales that were to take effect under the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, a month after signing the Bill.

The law, which has now been paused, would have imposed tariffs of up to 100% on goods brought into the US from the five largest importers of Russian crude oil or gas, which include India and China.

Also read: Trump puts Russia sanctions bill on hold, cites US national interest; retains power to reinstate measures


The move comes amid a diesel deal with Russia in the backdrop of soaring diesel prices in the United States ahead of the November midterm elections.

Several US lawmakers accused Trump of siding with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

California Governor Gavin Newsom's office accused Trump of getting paid by Putin. "OK. Someone has to be getting paid by Putin. Who? And how much?" the X post read.

Representative Don Beyer described the move as a surrender to Putin and a betrayal to Ukraine amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

Beyer wrote on X, "Trump just waived all of the sanctions on Russia provided for in the Lindsey Graham Sanctioning Russia Act, just as I and others warned he would. Trump's latest surrender to Putin again betrays our Ukrainian partners and defies clear congressional intent of legislation designed to punish Russia for its illegal war of aggression."

The Democrat also accused Trump of twisting the law and abusing the power, and called for "fixing" the law.

"Trump has proven he will twist this law and abuse the powers it conferred on him, and while he has let the tariff powers lie for the moment, the law as written also empowers Trump to weaponise new trade authorities against our allies and trading partners. Congress must fix this flawed law to stop Trump from capitulating to Putin and ensure that it truly supports Ukraine," Beyer wrote.

Representative Don Bacon said, "The President is prolonging the war, not ending it."

Former world chess champion and a vocal critic of Putin, Garry Kasparov also lashed out at Trump, saying, "Of course he did. What will it do to the balance in the Senate when Trump gives Alaska back to Russia?"

"Anything to relieve pressure on Russia or to give money to Russia kills more innocent Ukrainians and prolongs the war. That's bad for global security and the economy, including America's. The US needs nothing from Russia, but Trump clearly does," Kasparov added.

Trump invoked Section 115 of the Graham Act, which authorises the President to waive the application of any sanctions provision with respect to a foreign person, any restriction with respect to a person, and any duty under the law.

"I have submitted to the Congress a certification that the issuance of such a waiver is in the national interests of the United States and a report explaining the basis for the certification, consistent with section 115(b) of the Graham Act," Trump said in the order.

He waived the application of any duties provided for in sections 112 and 113 of the Act, which allowed Trump to increase the rate of duty on all goods imported into the United States from Russia to a rate of up to 500 per cent ad valorem (relative to the value). It also allowed a duty up to 100 per cent ad valorem from the five largest importers of Russian-origin crude oil or natural gas.

This comes after Trump announced a diesel deal with Russia, under which he said Russia would immediately supply more than 3,00,000 tonnes of diesel fuel, followed by another 5,00,000 tonnes during November and 1 million tonnes immediately thereafter.

India had expressed concerns to Washington over the "Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026" amid a lurking threat of tariff imposition.

On Wednesday, the Ministry of External Affairs noted that India has directly raised its objections regarding American legal measures targeting Russian trade ties, specifically the Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act (SRIA).

"We have already conveyed to the US side our concerns regarding the SRIA legislation," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.