Two Democratic members of the US House of Representatives have publicly opposed a new bill imposing sanctions on Russia, citing concerns that the legislation could inadvertently trigger severe tariffs on key US trading partners.
Representatives Brad Schneider of Illinois and Don Beyer of Virginia argued against the measure, with Beyer characterizing it as a "backdoor attempt to greenlight tariffs of up to 100 percent on our major trading partners." The dissent highlights growing internal friction within the Democratic caucus regarding the economic collateral damage of aggressive secondary sanctions.
The opposition comes as the legislative landscape for Russia sanctions continues to evolve.
A bipartisan group of senators recently introduced a revised version of the sanctions bill that significantly lowers proposed tariffs on major buyers of Russian oil and gas, including China and India.
This adjustment reflects an effort to balance geopolitical pressure with economic stability.
China has already firmly rejected previous US legislative proposals targeting the largest purchasers of Russian energy.