· Judiciary Insight · Senate · 2 min read
The Senate Fight Over Trump’s New Tariff Authority
Full context
The Senate debated new sanctions aimed at cutting off revenue funding Russia’s war in Ukraine, but a major disagreement emerged over new presidential tariff authority. The bill in question was S. 5025, the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026.
Senators Rand Paul and Ron Wyden backed an amendment to strip that authority from the bill, arguing that Congress was delegating too much taxing power to the executive branch and potentially raising costs for Americans. Senators Katie Britt, Richard Blumenthal, and other supporters argued that the tariffs were narrowly targeted and essential to pressuring countries purchasing Russian energy.
The Paul–Wyden amendment ultimately failed, and the Senate passed the bill with the tariff provisions intact by an 86–11 vote.
Key moments
- 0:30 - Background and preliminary bill support from Sens. Blumenthal and Shaheen
- 1:10 - Sen. Ron Wyden on the new tariff authority
- 1:46 - Sen. Raphael Warnock on the president’s “tariff regime”
- 2:08 - Sen. Rand Paul’s argument for the Paul–Wyden amendment
- 3:08 - Sen. Katie Britt’s response in support of the sanctions bill without the amendment
- 3:58 - Sen. Blumenthal explains his support for the bill
- 4:38 - Voting results
This video was edited and condensed with original narration, context, and analysis. Source footage is identified by Judiciary Insight as U.S. Senate/C-SPAN footage.
