Trump puts new Russia sanctions passed by Congress on hold, saying waiver is in US national interest

This one is real, and the ANI post is accurate, though it reads a little loosely. On October 16, 2026, Trump signed an executive order that waives the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 before its tariffs could start. The law was signed on September 18, and its 30-day clock was due to run out on October 18.

The order invokes Section 115 of the Act. Under that section the President can waive sanctions, restrictions and duties if he certifies to Congress that doing so serves the national interest and submits a report explaining why. Trump says he has done both. The published text gives little detail on the reasoning. The waiver covers the 100% tariffs on the five largest buyers of Russian oil and gas, which include India and China, and the 500% duty on goods imported directly from Russia. The order says the waiver stays in effect until Trump or his officials decide 'further action is appropriate', so the tariffs are suspended rather than repealed. Earlier sanctions under separate executive orders remain in place.

The timing matters. Trump has pitched a diesel deal with Moscow as a way to bring down fuel prices before the November midterms. Democrats and some Republicans have objected, saying the waiver looks like a favour to Putin. India's foreign ministry has said it wants stability in energy markets and has objected to the sanctions law.

For the primary text, the Graham Act's Section 115 is the place to check the exact wording.

A follow-up on the legal mechanics, since the waiver's reach depends on how Section 115 is written. I haven't been able to pull the order's own text from the White House site, so what follows is about the Act, via Covington's September 2026 summary (they say to check the enrolled bill, H.R. 5334, for exact wording).

• What a waiver needs: a report to Congress certifying it is in the national interests of the United States and explaining why. That is the whole condition.
• What it lacks: Covington describes no congressional review or disapproval step for Section 115 waivers. The 30-day review and joint resolution of disapproval apply to termination reports under Section 117, not to waivers. And the Act sets no limit on how long a waiver lasts. That fits the order's open-ended "until further action is appropriate" wording.
• The tariffs are "up to": Section 112 says up to 500% on Russian goods and Section 113 up to 100% on the listed third countries, both due within 30 days of enactment (October 18). Covington also notes an oddity: the crude and gas criteria in 113 turn on purchases made after that 30-day window, so even without a waiver it was unclear how the administration would apply them.

So the open question is less "can he?" than "what pulls the tariffs back?" Congress could amend the law, but the Act itself seems to give it no quick way to undo a waiver. If anyone has the order's text or the certification report, I'd like to see what reasoning it gives.