Drop 001 · Tuesday, October 20 · 8:00 AM ET
The Senate Voted 86-11 to Squeeze Putin. Trump Signed It, Then Waived Most of It.
Two days before new Russia sanctions were set to bite, Trump set most aside with no end date. Older sanctions remain. Top Republicans are objecting.
86-11Senate vote for the Russia sanctions law Trump signed, then mostly waived on Oct. 16
What happened?
Trump signed a tough Russia sanctions law Sept. 18. On Oct. 16, before most of it kicked in, he used its built-in waiver to set those parts aside.
Why does it matter to me?
The White House says enforcing it would hurt Ukraine peace talks, and it followed a Russian diesel deal the administration says will lower fuel prices. Neither benefit is proven yet.
What's true?
Verified: it's legal under the law's own waiver, has no end date, and older sanctions stay. Misleading: 'Trump lifted the sanctions.' Unproven: it helps peace talks.
Key facts
Each one checked against its source. Tap a source to see it yourself.
- Confirmed
On Oct. 16, 2026, Trump signed an executive order waiving tariffs and sanctions under the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026. The order says the waiver is "in the national interests of the United States" and says the required certification has been sent to Congress.
- Confirmed
The waivers carry no fixed expiration. They stay in effect until the President or the Secretary of State decides further action is appropriate. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the president wants a 60-day period to analyze the impact.
- Confirmed
The Senate passed the law 86-11, and Trump signed it on Sept. 18, 2026. It authorized tariffs of up to 500% on Russian goods and up to 100% on the largest buyers of Russian oil and gas.
- Confirmed
On Oct. 9, after Trump announced a diesel deal with Putin, Treasury's OFAC issued General License 135. It authorizes certain transactions in Russian-origin diesel through April 7, 2027.
Show 3 more checked facts ›Show fewer
- Confirmed
The waiver doesn't erase existing U.S. sanctions on Russia imposed under earlier executive orders.
- Confirmed
Republicans criticizing the move include Sens. Thom Tillis, John Cornyn, Ted Cruz and Bill Cassidy, Reps. Don Bacon and Mike Lawler, and Nikki Haley. Sen. Darline Graham, who succeeded her late brother, said she "would choose to keep the pressure on Russia."
- Confirmed
Both chambers are on recess until after Election Day, so Congress is unlikely to respond before Nov. 3. Rep. Gregory Meeks has introduced a bill to block the diesel deal.
What the bettors think
Kalshi and Polymarket prices as of Oct 20. Odds show expectations, not facts.
Go deeper
Everything behind the short version, for when you want the details.
The full story3 min read›
What others missed
Rubio says the president wants 60 days to study the impact, but the order itself sets no clock, and Treasury's diesel license (General License 135) runs all the way to April 7, 2027. CBS's math also puts the diesel purchase at about half of one day's U.S. diesel use, a figure that, among the outlets RockLeak reviewed, only CBS spelled out.
The Senate voted 86-11 to hit Vladimir Putin's economy with sweeping new tariffs and sanctions. On Sept. 18, President Trump signed it. On Friday, Oct. 16, two days before most of its provisions were set to take effect, he signed an executive order setting them aside.
The order invokes the law's own escape hatch, a Section 115 waiver allowed when the president certifies it is "in the national interests of the United States." It waives tariffs of up to 500% on Russian goods, up to 100% secondary tariffs on top buyers of Russian energy, and a long list of new sanctions. It sets no end date: the waivers last until the president or secretary of state decides otherwise. Sanctions imposed under earlier executive orders remain.
The timing points to diesel. On Oct. 9, Trump announced a deal with Putin to move Russian diesel onto world markets, and Treasury issued General License 135 the same day, authorizing Russian diesel transactions through April 2027. NBC reports diesel prices have climbed almost 70% since the Iran war began in February. CBS calculates the U.S. purchase at about 2.2 million barrels, just over half of a single day's U.S. diesel use.
Republicans didn't stay quiet. Sen. Thom Tillis called it "beyond irresponsible." Sen. Ted Cruz said, "I think it was a mistake." Sen. John Cornyn said Graham "would be appalled." Even Sen. Darline Graham, who was appointed to her late brother's seat and is now on the ballot, said she "would choose to keep the pressure on Russia." Democrats including Chuck Schumer and Richard Blumenthal went further, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the decision wrong.
The White House says enforcing the sanctions now would "impede ongoing U.S. efforts" to negotiate peace. Trump called it "a very good decision." Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the president wants 60 days to analyze the impact, although the order itself contains no such clock.
Can Congress stop it? Not before the election. Both chambers are in recess until after Nov. 3, and the waiver section requires only a certification and a report, not a vote. Rep. Gregory Meeks has introduced a bill to block the diesel deal, but it can't move until lawmakers return.
Traders aren't betting on a quick payoff for the peace argument. Polymarket puts a Russia-Ukraine ceasefire agreement by Dec. 31 at about 16.5%, and gives roughly 30% odds that Russian diesel actually lands in the U.S. by the end of November.
Bottom line: On Oct. 16, Trump signed an order waiving most of the new tariffs and sanctions in the Graham Act, using a national-interest waiver the law itself provides. The waiver has no end date. Older U.S. sanctions on Russia stay in place. The move came a week after a deal to buy Russian diesel, and Republicans and Democrats alike have condemned it. Whether it helps peace talks or lowers fuel prices is unproven.
Claims going around4 rated true, false or in between›
“Trump lifted the sanctions on Russia.”
Common shorthand in online posts and commentary (reported)
He waived the new Graham Act tariffs and sanctions before they took effect. Sanctions imposed under earlier executive orders remain in force.
“What part of enforcing a law passed 86-11 by the Senate does the President and his advisors not understand?”
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.)
The Senate vote was 86-11. Note, though, that the law includes a national-interest waiver, and the president used it. The order is a legal use of the statute, even if critics say it defeats the law's purpose.
“Enforcing the sanctions now "would impede ongoing U.S. efforts to negotiate a durable and comprehensive peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia.”
White House
The White House has offered no public evidence of how enforcement would derail talks. Trump said on Truth Social that he is negotiating peace. Prediction markets put a Russia-Ukraine ceasefire agreement by year-end at about 16.5%.
“The Russian diesel deal will bring down high U.S. fuel prices.”
Trump administration
CBS reports the U.S. is buying about 300,000 tons, roughly 2.2 million barrels, which is just over half of one day's U.S. diesel use. Reported volumes vary between outlets, and no price impact has been shown yet.
How each side covered it7 outlets, left to right›
Left
CNN
Trump waives Russia-related sanctions before they kick in, prompting backlash from Ukraine and US lawmakers
Frames the waiver as a bipartisan rebuke that deepens strains with Ukraine. It also carries Rubio's defense that the president wants 60 days to analyze the impact.
NBC News
Trump doubles down after waiving new Russia sanctions, calling it a 'very good decision'
Leads with Trump's defiance and ties the waiver to the diesel deal and diesel prices that have risen sharply since the Iran war began.
CBS News
Trump faces bipartisan backlash over waiving Russia sanctions
Collects critics from both parties and does the math on the diesel deal: about half a day of U.S. consumption.
Center
AP (via PBS NewsHour)
Trump's decision to waive Russian sanctions outrages Congress, but no quick counter seen
Focuses on process: lawmakers are angry but in recess, so there's no fast way to undo the order before the election.
Axios
Trump waives new Russia sanctions in the "national interests"
Short explainer keyed to the order's one-line 'national interests' justification. (RockLeak could not open the full page.)
The Hill
GOP senator: Reagan, Graham would be 'ashamed' of Trump waiving Russia sanctions
Built around Sen. Bill Cassidy's rebuke, casting the move as a break with Reagan-era GOP hawkishness.
Still unknownWhat nobody can prove yet›
- What the unpublished Section 115 report to Congress says about the national-interest justification.
- How much Russian diesel will reach the U.S. and when. Outlets report different volumes, from 'hundreds of thousands' to 'millions' of tons.
- Whether the administration will reinstate any provisions after Rubio's 60-day review.
- Whether Congress will try to legislate around the waiver when it returns after Nov. 3.
Questions people are asking3 answered›
Did Trump lift sanctions on Russia?
Not all of them. On Oct. 16 he waived most of the new tariffs and sanctions in the Graham Act before they took effect. Sanctions imposed under earlier executive orders remain in force.
How long does Trump's Russia sanctions waiver last?
It has no fixed end date. It stays in effect until the President or the Secretary of State decides further action is appropriate. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the president wants a 60-day period to analyze the impact.
What is the Graham Act?
The Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 passed the Senate 86-11 and was signed by Trump on Sept. 18, 2026. It authorized tariffs of up to 500% on Russian goods and up to 100% on the largest buyers of Russian oil and gas.
Behind this storyFour AI analysts argue it out, plus the reaction on X›
Grant
The Constitutionalist · Right
“Congress wrote this law, and an indefinite waiver two days before it took effect undermines Congress's authority.”
The Senate voted 86-11, a near-unanimous statement of national policy, and the order gives one sentence of justification. Even if the waiver is technically legal under Section 115, an open-ended waiver with no stated end date turns a statute into a suggestion.
Concedes: The law itself gave the president waiver authority, so this is a policy fight, not a lawbreaking one.
Rosa
The Progressive · Left
“This rewards Putin to buy a short-term fuel-price story before the midterms.”
The waiver came one week after a Russian diesel deal, and CBS's math shows that diesel equals about half a day of U.S. use. Ukraine is absorbing Russian strikes on its energy grid while the U.S. eases pressure on Moscow.
Concedes: Diesel prices have genuinely spiked since the Iran war began, and families are feeling it.
Mercer
The Institutionalist · Center
“The waiver is legal, but the administration owes Congress and allies a real explanation.”
Section 115 requires a certification and report, and the White House says it sent both. But a one-line national-interest finding with no expiry, issued while Congress is in recess, invites the backlash it got.
Concedes: Presidents need flexibility in live negotiations, and older sanctions on Russia are still in force.
Vex
The Outsider · Populist
“Watch what Washington does, not what it says: both parties' hawks and the White House are performing for the cameras.”
The same Republicans blasting the waiver on X are out of town until after the election and can't act on it. Meanwhile the White House says it's for peace talks, but it hasn't shown any evidence.
Concedes: The GOP criticism is real and on the record. Tillis, Cruz and Cornyn aren't Democrats.
Where all four agree: Trump legally used the law's waiver authority, the waiver has no end date, older sanctions remain, the move is tied in time to a Russian diesel deal, and it drew rare bipartisan criticism.
On X
Reported via news coverage. Much of the backlash played out directly on X: Zelenskyy, Tillis, Cornyn, Bacon and McCaul all posted criticism there, while Trump defended the move on Truth Social as protecting peace talks. Elon Musk weighed in on X about Starshield in a related fight over Ukraine's satellite service.
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