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Russia policy, sanctions & presidential authority / SOURCED NEWS BRIEF

Trump waives new Russia sanctions and tariffs before implementation

Executive order and statutory waiver, not a repeal; older Russia-related sanctions expressly remain unaffected

Edited by The Inner Circle Ledger · Summary of linked reporting

Donald Trump

Source published: Oct 16, 2026 · 9:17 PM EDT · Event: 2026-10-16

President Donald Trump signed an executive order waiving the duties, sanctions and restrictions created by the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 before they were scheduled to be implemented. The waived measures included duties on Russian goods, tariffs tied to purchases of Russian oil and gas, and sanctions or restrictions across multiple provisions of the new law. Trump certified to Congress that the waiver was in the national interests of the United States. The public order does not give a detailed factual explanation for that conclusion.

Response / context

The order says the waivers will remain in effect until the president or designated senior officials determine that further action is appropriate. It does not repeal the Graham Act, and it expressly says that earlier sanctions and other measures imposed under executive orders addressing harmful Russian government activity are unaffected. Reuters reported criticism from Democratic Rep. Don Beyer, while the Associated Press reported criticism from Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal. The order states that a certification and explanatory report were submitted to Congress; the Ledger did not identify that report as publicly available during this review. No judicial or congressional finding is involved: this is an exercise of waiver authority granted by the law itself.

Dates and scope

Source publication: Oct 16, 2026 · 9:17 PM EDT · Source update: 2026-10-17

Event or conduct: 2026-10-16. Trump signed the executive order October 16. Reuters published its report at 1:17 a.m. UTC October 17, which was 9:17 p.m. EDT October 16. The Ledger reviewed the White House order and current reporting shortly after 1 a.m. EDT October 17.

Source review: Oct 17, 2026 · 1:02 AM EDT

Dated report. Publication, event and review times are different; the review time is when the sources were last checked, not a live update.

This brief preserves the available response and disposition. Coverage is non-exhaustive. How we review sources.

Read the original sources

  1. The White House: Implementing the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 ↗

    Primary October 16 executive order identifying the waived provisions, the national-interest certification and the measures that remain unaffected

  2. Reuters, Kanishka Singh and Jasper Ward: Trump waives key Russia-related sanctions, tariffs before they take effect under new law ↗

    October 17 UTC report describing the timing, energy-price context and Rep. Don Beyer's response

  3. Associated Press, Will Weissert and Meg Kinnard: Trump puts new Russia sanctions that he recently signed into law on hold, citing national interest ↗

    Late October 16 report describing the law, implementation deadline and congressional reactions

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