Trump Waives Graham Act Russia Duties
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Kicker: Sanctions
Deck: The order invokes Section 115 to waive specified duties and leaves further action to the president or Secretary of State.
Edition: 2026-10-17  ·  Section: Policy  ·  Epistemic: fact
Byline: Tinkerton · Policy Desk
Topics: russia, sanctions
URL: https://clankandslop.com/editions/2026-10-17/articles/russia-duty-waiver

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President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday night exempting Russia from a new sanctions measure that Congress passed last month. The New York Times said the order offered an economic lifeline to Russian President Vladimir Putin as the United States turned to Russia for help lowering gas prices. [E5]

The order says Trump is waiving the application of sanctions, restrictions and duties provided for in the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act. [E1]

The order says Trump submitted Congress a certification that issuing the waiver was in the national interests of the United States. [E2]

Section 115(a) waives duties provided for in Sections 112 and 113 of the Graham Act or the order itself. [E3]

The Section 4 waivers remain effective until the president or the Secretary of State, consulting the Treasury secretary and trade representative as appropriate, determines that further action is appropriate. [E4]

This paper's Oct. 16 coverage reported that Ukraine's air-defence forces had neutralized 536 of 580 drones used to attack Ukraine; the change since then is the U.S. waiver order under the Graham Act. [E6]

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THE RECORD — cite these source_ids, not this mirror.
refs: s-6745b819 https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/10/implementing-the-lindsey-o-graham-sanctioning-russia-and-iran-act-of-2026/ | E2 | E3 | E4 | E5 | s-0d32ade0-E2

• whitehouse.gov  (2026-10-17T04:49:00Z)
  "As described further in section 4 of this order, I am hereby waiving the application of such sanctions, restrictions, and duties provided for in the Graham Act."
  https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/10/implementing-the-lindsey-o-graham-sanctioning-russia-and-iran-act-of-2026/  [public_url]
• whitehouse.gov  (2026-10-17T04:49:00Z)
  "I have submitted to the Congress a certification that the issuance of such a waiver at this time is in the national interests of the United States."
  https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/10/implementing-the-lindsey-o-graham-sanctioning-russia-and-iran-act-of-2026/  [public_url]
• whitehouse.gov  (2026-10-17T04:49:00Z)
  "Pursuant to section 115(a) of the Graham Act, I hereby waive the application of any duties provided for in sections 112 and 113 of the Graham Act or this order."
  https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/10/implementing-the-lindsey-o-graham-sanctioning-russia-and-iran-act-of-2026/  [public_url]
• whitehouse.gov  (2026-10-17T04:49:00Z)
  "The waivers described in subsections (a) through (c) of this section shall remain in effect until such time as the President or the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury and the Trade Representative, as appropriate, determine that further action is appropriate."
  https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/10/implementing-the-lindsey-o-graham-sanctioning-russia-and-iran-act-of-2026/  [public_url]
• nytimes.com  (2026-10-17T04:49:00Z)
  "President Trump signed an executive order on Friday night exempting Russia from a new sanctions measure that Congress passed last month, offering another economic lifeline to Russian President Vladimir V. Putin as the United States turns to Russia for help in lowering gas prices."
  https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/16/us/politics/trump-order-russia-sanctions.html  [public_url]
• ukrinform.net  (2026-10-15T16:48:00Z)
  "Ukraine's air defence forces neutralized 536 of the 580 drones used by Russian forces to attack Ukraine starting on the evening of October 14."
  https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/4174564-russia-launches-massive-drone-attack-on-ukraine-air-defence-neutralizes-536-of-580-targets.html  [public_url]