Daniel Wolfram
Trump’s decision not to implement Congress’ bill on further sanctioning Russia has brought together both Republicans and Democrats.
As it turns out, both Trump’s diesel deal with notorious dictator Vladimir Putin and Trump’s decision to suspend sanctions against Russia are very unpopular among lawmakers in Washington, D.C.
Trump is quickly facing backlash over the fact that he has not honored the “Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026” and has instead waived the sanctions, citing it was in the best “national interest” of the country.
Now, a bipartisan group of House members urges the president to impose the sanctions.
‘Full and Faithful’ implementation
Republican Michael McCaul from Texas and Congressman Jim Costa from California have sent a letter to President Donald Trump, along with 20 bipartisan colleagues, who include five Republicans, to urge him to implement the sanctions bill in a “full and faithful” manner.
The letter stressed the importance of these sanctions.
“Dear Mr. President: As Russia prepares to wage a fifth winter campaign against Ukraine, the United States has an opportunity to reinvigorate peace efforts by placing maximum pressure on Vladimir Putin and the governments and networks that finance his war,” the letter reads.
The letter also points out that the diesel deal Trump made with Putin goes directly against the sanctions that were championed by and named after Trump’s late ally Senator Lindsey Graham.
“We are particularly concerned by Treasury’s October 9 issuance of General License 135, which authorizes transactions involving Russian-origin diesel, including imports into the United States. We urge the Administration to revoke this license and not issue further general licenses that reopen Russian energy transactions and restore revenue to the Kremlin’s war chest.”
Will the letter work?
As of this writing, the first tanker with Russian diesel is on its way to New York. It is clear that Trump has no regard for either chamber of Congress on this matter.
To make matters worse, Speaker Mike Johnson, a MAGA loyalist, has ordered the House into recess, which means that the 435 representatives will not be back at work on Capitol Hill before the midterm elections have concluded.
Likewise, the Senate is not in session until the midterms are concluded. And even then, there are a lot of congressmen and senators who will be out of a job come January when the new Congress is seated.
This means that it is unlikely that actions against the president’s unwillingness to follow the law and implement the sanctions on Russia will be taken.
The irony of it all is that this bill is one of the only bipartisan bills during the second Trump administration. It was passed by the Senate with overwhelming support, 86–12. it was also passed through the House with a large majority, 262-159.
