Why a Democratic Lawmaker Calls Trump's Russia Sanctions Waiver a Surrender

President Trump has waived new sanctions on Russia that were created under a law named for Sen. Lindsey Graham, a move that Democratic Rep. Don Beyer of Virginia described to NPR as a "surrender to Putin." Beyer, who sits on the House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee, said Congress should act to fix the law.

The administration gives a different reason. According to NPR, Trump said in a Truth Social post on Sunday that he wants to avoid pushing Russia away from the bargaining table. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Saturday that the pause is about the global economy.

What the waiver does

NPR's Leila Fadel noted that the law is meant to cut off revenue that funds Russia's war in Ukraine, but that it also gives the president the power to waive the sanctions. Beyer agreed and said Democrats had warned at the time that it was a flawed bill. He said the law also gave Trump broad new tariff authority, and that waiving the Russia sanctions was the first thing the president did with it.

Beyer also pointed to a $4 billion diesel fuel purchase that he said Trump announced. He argued that the purchase clearly conflicts with a 2022 law barring the U.S. from buying Russian oil. The interview does not include a response from the administration on that point.

The administration's case

Rubio told reporters that the sanctions were not aimed only at Russia. In his account, they also include tariffs on several countries, India among them. He said the president wants a 60-day period to study what imposing both sanctions and tariffs would mean for the global economy and for the U.S. economy.

NPR also reported that Trump has blamed Ukraine's attacks on Russian diesel fuel facilities, rather than his war on Iran, for rising oil prices.

Beyer's response

Beyer rejected the economic argument. He called it laughable, noting that Trump has imposed tariffs of 50% on India at one point and 39% on Switzerland. In his view, a sudden concern about tariffs makes little sense.

He also disputed the claim about oil prices. Because sanctions on buying Russian oil have been in place for years, he said, the Russia-Ukraine war could not be what is driving prices up. He said the war in Iran has produced the highest diesel prices in the country's history.

Beyer compared Trump's approach to the appeasement of 1938 and said negotiating with Russia has not worked over the past 4 1/2 years. He also said Trump has repeatedly criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. According to Beyer, Zelenskyy has said he will stop attacking Russia if Russia stops attacking Ukraine.

Why it matters for fuel prices and trade

The most direct question for consumers is whether easing pressure on Russia would lower fuel costs. Asked that, Beyer said every economist and fossil fuel specialist he has seen concluded that even the $4 billion diesel purchase would change diesel prices by only a penny or two. These are his characterizations; the interview does not cite the economists by name.

The waiver also bears on trade. Rubio's description suggests that the sanctions law and the tariffs it authorizes are linked, so decisions about Russia could affect trade with other countries, including India. Beyer disputes that this is the real motive.

The energy ceasefire and Republican reaction

NPR noted that neither Ukraine nor Russia has followed what Trump announced as an "energy ceasefire," under which both sides would refrain from striking energy facilities. Beyer said he expects the waiver to make a deal less likely. He added that Trump announced the ceasefire without consulting either country, and that both were surprised.

On Republican reaction, Beyer said it is mixed, but that the Republicans he respects most were horrified and did not intend this outcome when they passed the bill. NPR said it invited several Republican lawmakers to appear on the program and that the invitations remain open.

What happens next

Under Rubio's description, the administration is using a 60-day period to assess the economic effects of sanctions and tariffs. Beyer said Congress should immediately bring back an earlier House-passed bill that put sanctions on Russia without letting the president waive them and without the new tariff authority. The interview does not say whether House leaders plan to take it up.

Around Prague, based on reporting by NPR