A bipartisan group of senators on Tuesday unveiled a compromise sanctions bill backed by President Donald Trump that would expand U.S. penalties on Russia and Iran while granting the president new authority to impose steep tariffs on countries that continue buying Russian energy, Bloomberg reported.

The agreement sets up a renewed fight over presidential trade powers even as lawmakers seek to honor one of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham's final legislative priorities.

The legislation, long championed by Graham, would authorize Trump to impose tariffs of up to 100% on the five largest purchasers of Russian oil and natural gas, as well as countries found to be helping Moscow evade energy sanctions.

It would also extend the Iran Sanctions Act through 2031, preventing it from expiring this year, and authorize tariffs of up to 500% on Russian goods imported into the United States.
Senate leaders scheduled a procedural vote for Tuesday evening after Trump publicly signaled support for the measure.

The Senate's action comes the same day as Graham's funeral, highlighting the bipartisan push to advance a bill viewed as a cornerstone of the South Carolina Republican's efforts to increase economic pressure on Moscow following Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Although the legislation appears likely to clear the Senate this week, the House has already left Washington for its August recess, delaying final passage until at least September.

Supporters argue the bill would give Trump additional leverage to pressure Russia by targeting one of the Kremlin's most important sources of wartime revenue.

The legislation comes as Trump is scheduled to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on Tuesday. Zelenskyy is also expected to meet lawmakers on Capitol Hill later in the day.

But the bill has exposed a growing partisan divide over its tariff provisions, with some Democrats warning they could inadvertently expand Trump's already aggressive use of executive trade authority.

The dispute centers on language allowing, but not requiring, the president to impose tariffs of up to 100% on countries that knowingly purchase Russian crude oil, petroleum products, natural gas, or uranium.

Republicans have argued the flexibility is necessary to secure Trump's backing and ensure the sanctions can be used strategically in negotiations.

Democrats, however, say they are reluctant to give Trump additional discretion over tariffs at a time when they believe he has already exceeded Congress's constitutional role in regulating trade.

Rep. Richard Neal of Massachusetts, the top Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee, and Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, said in a joint statement last week that they could not support legislation that "hands President Trump a blank check to continue his chaotic tariff agenda."

Their concerns intensified after the Trump administration imposed new tariffs on dozens of U.S. trading partners last week, reinforcing Democrat arguments that Congress should not further broaden the president's unilateral trade authority.

Republicans counter that the sanctions legislation is narrowly tailored and applies only to countries helping finance Russia's war effort.

Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, who has worked to bridge the divide, said lawmakers are exploring language to ensure the tariff authority cannot be interpreted more broadly.

"This legislation is very clear" that the authority applies only to Russian energy sanctions, McCaul said, adding that he would be open to language explicitly reinforcing that limitation if it would ease Democrat concerns.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., the bill's lead Democrat co-sponsor, struck an optimistic tone despite the disagreement, saying that "nothing has been this close" to becoming law since he and Graham began working on the sanctions package more than a year ago.

In an effort to win additional support, negotiators also made a last-minute revision limiting the president's new tariff authority to five years.

If ultimately enacted, the legislation would provide the Trump administration with one of its strongest economic tools yet to pressure Moscow while preserving Graham's final major foreign policy initiative.