Trump puts the new Graham Act sanctions on Russia on hold. Here's what the order waives, and who is objecting.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday, October 16, that waives most of the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, a law he signed on September 18 (White House; AP). The law is named for the late South Carolina senator who championed it. Its new sanctions and tariffs were due to take effect on Sunday, October 18, ABC News and the Washington Post reported.

What the order does

The law lets the president waive its provisions if he certifies to Congress that doing so is in the national interest and explains why. The order says Trump has sent that certification. The certification itself hasn't been made public.

The order first sets out the tariffs the law calls for: a 500 percent duty increase on goods from Russia, and 100 percent increases on goods from the five biggest buyers of Russian oil and gas and from the five countries that do most to help Russia evade oil sanctions. Then, in section 4, it waives all of those duties.

It also waives a long list of the law's sanctions sections, including 102(a), 102(d), 102(e) and 103 through 111, plus section 117. The waivers last until the president or the secretary of state decides further action is appropriate. The U.S. trade representative is told to keep monitoring Russian oil and gas purchases and report back.

What stays: the order says it doesn't touch sanctions already imposed under earlier executive orders on Russia, which predate the Graham Act.

The case for the waiver

The order itself gives the national interest as its reason without elaborating. In a statement reported by Axios, White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said enforcing the sanctions now "would impede ongoing U.S. efforts to negotiate a durable and comprehensive peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia," and that the president "retains the ability to exercise these authorities at any time." Sen. James Lankford, an Oklahoma Republican, said on NBC's "Meet the Press" that the president is balancing American needs against how best to support Ukraine, according to NPR. NPR's reporting also connects the decision to the president's focus on fuel prices.

The case against

Criticism came from both parties. Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican, called the move "beyond irresponsible" in a post on X, noting the law passed the Senate 86-11 (Axios; The Hill). Sen. John Cornyn of Texas wrote on X: "Lindsey would be appalled." Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska warned that many lawmakers "won't fund" the president's agenda "knowing he is propping up a dictator's invasion," he wrote on X. Rep. French Hill of Arkansas said he has asked for a classified briefing on the reasoning, according to Axios.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer wrote on X that "Trump's deal with the devil keeps getting dirtier," and Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Rep. Don Beyer also condemned it, Axios reported. Sen. Darline Graham, a South Carolina Republican and the late senator's sister, who was appointed to his seat in July, told AP she would "choose to keep the pressure on Russia" because she doesn't trust Vladimir Putin, while saying it was up to the president whether to use the law, according to Axios.

In Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the pause a "reward" for Putin and urged supporters to press for the sanctions to be restored, The Guardian and AP reported.

What happens next

The law allows the waiver as long as the certification is made, and Congress is out campaigning until after the midterm elections, NPR noted. Lawmakers who object would have to act when they return.

Sources

• White House executive order, October 16, 2026
• Associated Press
• ABC News
• The Washington Post
• Axios
• The Hill
• NPR
• The Guardian

Drafted with AI assistance from primary sources. Written and edited by The Whole Read newsroom under Monsaur Othman's editorial standards. Read how we use AI, our editorial policy and our corrections policy.