Republicans Break With Trump Over His Waiver of the Graham Russia Sanctions Law; Rubio Says Trump Will Take Up to 60 Days

A growing number of Republicans are publicly breaking with President Donald Trump over his decision to waive the sanctions and tariffs in the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, a law he signed last month.

Critics include the late Sen. Lindsey Graham's sister and successor, Sen. Darline Graham (R-S.C.), along with Sens. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, John Cornyn and Ted Cruz of Texas, and Rick Scott of Florida. Trump says the waiver protects peace talks, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the president will take up to 60 days to weigh the economic impact.

What the Russia Sanctions Waiver Does

Trump signed the executive order on Friday, Oct. 16, four weeks after he signed the Graham Act into law on Sept. 18.

On paper, the order sets the law's tariffs in motion: a 500% increase in the duty on goods from Russia, and 100% increases on goods from the five largest importers of Russian crude oil and natural gas and from the top five facilitators of Russian oil sanctions evasion.

It then waives them. Citing section 115 of the law, Trump wrote, "I hereby waive the application of any duties provided for in sections 112 and 113 of the Graham Act or this order." The order also waives most of the law's sanctions on foreign persons and restrictions on persons, listing more than a dozen sections.

The order says Trump sent Congress the written certification the law requires, finding that the waiver "is in the national interests of the United States." It says the waivers stay in effect until the president or the secretary of state determines "that further action is appropriate." The order also says it does not affect Russia sanctions already in place under earlier executive orders.

The new penalties had been scheduled to begin Sunday, Newsweek reported.

Republicans Speak Out

Darline Graham was appointed by South Carolina's governor to fill her brother's seat after he died this summer and helped ensure Senate passage of the bill, the Associated Press reported. She said Saturday that she disagreed with Trump's decision and planned to discuss it with him when he campaigns for her next week, Reuters reported.

"Look, the president and I share the same goal, which is to end the war, to get gas and diesel prices down, and the sanctions bill is one of the tools he can use to do that," she said at a campaign stop, according to the Associated Press. "It's up to him whether or not he chooses to use it." She added, "Personally, I would choose to keep the pressure on Russia, because I don't trust Putin and I don't trust Russia."

Tillis called the waiver "beyond irresponsible." "What part of enforcing a law passed 86-11 by the Senate does the President and his advisors not understand?" he wrote on X. "It's unconscionable that this administration is capitulating to a Russian dictator who illegally invaded Ukraine."

Cornyn wrote on X: "Lindsey would be appalled."

"Look, I wish the president hadn't done it. I think it was a mistake," Cruz said Saturday on Fox News.

"I think it's clear Russia is the aggressor, and we've got to do everything we can to put economic pressure on Russia," Scott told the Associated Press. "So it's not the first thing I would be doing."

In the House, Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) said Trump was "prolonging the war, not ending it," and Rep. French Hill (R-Ark.) said the U.S. should be increasing pressure on Russia and requested a classified briefing, Newsweek reported.

Democrats also objected. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), who wrote the original bill with Lindsey Graham, said, "These waivers have nothing to do with our national security, and everything to do with sucking up to Vladimir Putin," according to Fox Business.

Trump and the White House Respond

Trump defended the move in a Truth Social post on Sunday. "My decision on Russia is a very simple one," he wrote. "I am in the process of negotiating Peace in the war between Russia and Ukraine, and don't want to do anything that will drive, foolishly, Russia away from the bargaining table." He also wrote that Russia "is doing very little, if anything, to help the Islamic Republic of Iran." Those are Trump's claims.

White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said in a statement, "The President retains the ability to exercise these authorities at any time if he determines that doing so would advance national interests," Newsweek reported.

"I think the president wants to take the 60-day period of time to sort of analyse what imposing both sanctions and tariffs will mean to the global economy and even to the US economy," Rubio told reporters Saturday, according to Reuters. Rubio pointed to India, an important U.S. partner that remains heavily dependent on Russian oil, Reuters reported.

Some Republicans backed Trump. Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) said on NBC's "Meet the Press" that "the president has the ability under the statute to be able to look at national interests," adding, "Any belief that President Trump is aligning with President Putin is not true."

Congress is on recess until after the Nov. 3 elections, so lawmakers are unlikely to act before they return, the Associated Press reported.

Asked for comment, the White House referred TDFP to the president's recent remarks and provided a statement from spokeswoman Taylor Rogers: "President Trump has been clear that he wants to see this brutal war come to an end. As talks continue, this Act provides the President with additional authorities to pursue a peaceful resolution. Enforcing the sanctions provisions now would impede ongoing U.S. efforts to negotiate a durable and comprehensive peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia. The President retains the ability to exercise these authorities at any time if he determines that doing so would advance national interests."

Sources: The White House, "Implementing the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026" (executive order, Oct. 16, 2026): https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/10/implementing-the-lindsey-o-graham-sanctioning-russia-and-iran-act-of-2026/ ; Associated Press via PBS NewsHour (Oct. 17, 2026): https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trumps-decision-to-waive-russian-sanctions-outrages-congress-but-no-quick-counter-seen ; Reuters via The Irish Times (Oct. 18, 2026): https://www.irishtimes.com/world/us/2026/10/18/trump-will-take-up-to-60-days-to-weigh-russia-sanctions-rubio-says/ ; Fox Business (Oct. 18, 2026): https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/trump-faces-bipartisan-backlash-over-russia-sanctions-waiver-causing-top-republicans-break-ranks ; Newsweek (Oct. 19, 2026): https://www.newsweek.com/trump-defends-russia-sanctions-waiver-amid-republican-backlash-12586463 ; Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Darline Graham, bill introduction release: https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/blumenthal-and-darline-graham-introduce-legislation-with-60-cosponsors-to-hold-purchasers-of-russian-oil-accountable