A growing number of Republicans are raising concerns about President Donald Trump’s decision to waive sweeping new sanctions and tariffs targeting Russia, with House Speaker Mike Johnson saying he warned the White House about potential “unintended consequences.”
Trump signed an executive order Friday waiving key measures under the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, legislation he signed into law in September that was designed to increase economic pressure on Moscow over its war in Ukraine.
“I am hereby waiving the application of such sanctions, restrictions, and duties provided for in the Graham Act,” Trump said in the order. He said he had certified to Congress that issuing the waiver was “in the national interests of the United States.”
The Graham Act provides for a 500 percent tariff on Russian goods and potential 100 percent tariffs on goods from certain major purchasers of Russian oil and gas. The new measures were due to begin taking effect on October 18, 30 days after Trump signed the law. Trump’s order implemented the provisions but simultaneously waived the new duties before they took effect. The waivers remain in place until Trump or the secretary of state, in consultation with other administration officials, determines that further action is appropriate.
The executive order does not affect Russia-related sanctions imposed under earlier executive orders.
The move has put the president at odds with Republicans who supported tougher measures against Russia, although their criticism has ranged from direct condemnation to more measured disagreement.
Trump has defended the waiver as part of his effort to negotiate an end to the war while his administration also seeks to bring down elevated diesel and gasoline prices ahead of the November midterm elections. Writing on Truth Social on Sunday, Trump said he is “in the process of negotiating Peace in the war between Russia and Ukraine, and don’t want to do anything that will drive, foolishly, Russia away from the bargaining table.”
The waiver follows Trump’s separate agreement with Russia aimed at increasing diesel supplies to global markets in an effort to lower fuel costs. Energy Secretary Chris Wright defended that approach Sunday, calling the diesel arrangement a “carrot” for Moscow, while saying on CNN’s State of the Union that Trump had not ended the Graham sanctions but had “just suspended the enforcement of them for now.”
The criticism comes as Moscow has welcomed Trump’s decision while Ukraine has argued that easing pressure will encourage further Russian attacks. After a Russian drone attack in the Kharkiv region, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on X Monday: “This is how Russia responds to sanctions waivers and reduced pressure.” Russian investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev, meanwhile, wrote on X that the suspension of some Graham Act provisions marked an “important and truly historic moment.”
Here, Newsweek lists the Republicans who have opposed Trump’s waiver or publicly raised concerns about it.
House Speaker Mike Johnson
Johnson said Sunday that he had told White House officials that the administration should carefully consider the possible consequences of waiving the sanctions.
“Congress voted on this decisively just several weeks ago, and we understand that Putin cannot be trusted,” Johnson told Larry Kudlow on Fox News.
Johnson said he had spoken with several colleagues who had concerns about the waiver and had relayed those concerns to the White House.
“I told the White House team that we need to talk about it, and I think carefully consider the unintended consequences that may ensue from that,” he said.
But Johnson stopped short of directly opposing the president, saying Trump was evaluating the issue and balancing national security against his goal of bringing down Americans’ cost of living.
“So I think the right decision will be made here in the end,” he said.
Mike Rogers
Mike Rogers, the Republican Senate candidate in Michigan, said he disagreed with Trump’s decision to pause the sanctions.
“It’s just not where I would be,” Rogers told CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday. “I would have voted for the sanctions bill. If the president has a better idea to get diesel prices down, I’d be for it. I’m just a little skeptical that this will work in the way that the administration wants it to work.”
“I don’t think we can give Putin an inch,” he added.
Senator Thom Tillis
North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis delivered one of the strongest Republican condemnations of Trump’s decision, calling it “beyond irresponsible.”
“What part of enforcing a law passed 86-11 by the Senate does the President and his advisors not understand?” Tillis wrote on X Saturday.
“It’s unconscionable that this administration is capitulating to a Russian dictator who illegally invaded Ukraine and butchers innocent civilians every single day,” he added.
Tillis argued that Trump could address high energy prices by tackling the conflict with Iran rather than “doing a solid for Vladimir Putin.”
Senator Ted Cruz
Texas Senator Ted Cruz said Trump made a mistake by issuing the waiver.
“Look, I wish the president hadn’t done it. I think it was a mistake,” Cruz said during an appearance on Fox News Saturday. Asked whether he would tell Trump not to waive the sanctions, Cruz said, “I would, yes.”
Cruz acknowledged Trump was trying to deal with high fuel prices but argued other options were available, saying the current approach “just benefits Putin.”
Senator John Cornyn
Texas Senator John Cornyn invoked his late colleague Lindsey Graham, who had spent more than a year pushing for tougher sanctions on Russia.
“Lindsey would be appalled,” Cornyn wrote on X after Trump issued the waiver.
Cornyn had previously joined other senators in urging Trump to abandon his separate Russian diesel agreement.
Senator Darline Graham
South Carolina Senator Darline Graham, who succeeded her late brother Lindsey Graham, has taken a more measured position.
“The president and I share the same goal, which is to end the war, get gas and diesel prices down,” Graham said, acknowledging that it was Trump's decision whether to use the sanctions.
But she added: “Personally, I would choose to keep the pressure on Russia because I don’t trust Putin, and I don’t trust Russia.”
Graham said she expected to discuss the decision with Trump when he visits South Carolina.
Representative Mike Turner
Ohio Republican Mike Turner said Trump should use the sanctions authorized under the Graham Act and argued that some of the waivers should not be absolute.
“I would encourage the president to do so,” Turner said Sunday on CBS’s Face the Nation, after noting that Trump retains the ability to impose sanctions despite initially waiving them.
Turner added that “some of those waivers should not be absolute,” while arguing that discussions should continue over which sanctions to apply.
Senator Kevin Cramer
North Dakota Republican Kevin Cramer said he shared the concerns of Republican senators who have criticized Trump’s waiver and hopes the pause will be short-lived.
“I share those colleagues’ positions on it,” Cramer told CBS’s Face the Nation after host Margaret Brennan cited criticism from Senators Thom Tillis and John Cornyn.
Cramer said he understood the administration’s concern about diesel prices but added: “I expect this will be a short-term pause. And I certainly hope so.”
He said Zelensky had asked during a recent meeting for Trump to fully enforce the Graham sanctions law.
“And I still take that position,” Cramer said.
Representative Jeff Hurd
Colorado Republican Jeff Hurd said he disagreed with the administration’s decision to waive the new sanctions, arguing that easing pressure on Moscow could help fund its war in Ukraine.
“I understand the need to lower energy costs for American families,” Hurd wrote on X Monday. “But easing sanctions makes it easier for Russia to fund its war, with little evidence that Americans will see meaningful savings.”
Hurd added that the United States should not ease pressure on Russia “without meaningful concessions in return.”
“I hope the Administration reconsiders,” he wrote.
Representative Don Bacon
Nebraska Representative Don Bacon accused Trump of undermining efforts to end Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
“The President is prolonging the war, not ending it,” Bacon wrote on X after Trump's executive order was made public.
Bacon intensified his criticism the following day, saying Trump’s agenda “is dead” and accusing the president of “propping up a dictator’s invasion and throwing an ally under the bus.”
Representative Michael McCaul
Texas Representative Michael McCaul called on Trump to reverse course.
“Time and again, we have seen how Putin responds to American concessions: with contempt for the United States and increased violence against innocent Ukrainians,” McCaul said.
He urged Trump to “reverse course, use these sanctions, and return to the time-tested principle that lasting peace is secured through strength — not accommodation.”
Nikki Haley
Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, who served in Trump’s first administration and later challenged him for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, described Trump’s decision as a “terrible misjudgment of Putin.”
“There are certain decisions that will go down as history-defining moments. This is one of them,” Haley wrote on X Saturday. “It’s a terrible misjudgment of Putin, who has made it clear he wants to destroy the West. We shouldn’t help him do it.”
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What Has Trump Said About the Russia Sanctions Waiver?
Asked about Zelensky’s accusation that he was supporting Putin by waiving the sanctions, Trump told reporters on Monday: “I’m supporting stopping the war between Russia and Ukraine.” He went on to accuse Zelensky of “not helping matters much,” adding: “I think he doesn’t want to stop it, but I want to see people not die.”
Trump went on to say: “All I want is for Russia and Ukraine to stop that stupid war.”
White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers told Newsweek Monday that Trump wants to see the “brutal war” end and argued that imposing the sanctions now could interfere with negotiations.
“Enforcing the sanctions provisions now would impede ongoing U.S. efforts to negotiate a durable and comprehensive peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia,” Rogers said. “The President retains the ability to exercise these authorities at any time if he determines that doing so would advance national interests.”
Trump played down the extent of the Republican expressing criticism, saying “there aren’t many of them,” and said he was negotiating with Russia over Ukraine, Iran, hostages and diesel.
The administration has also characterized the waiver as a pause rather than the abandonment of the sanctions.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Saturday that Trump wanted 60 days to assess the sanctions' potential effects on the U.S. and global economy amid pressures on energy supplies.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum also defended the administration’s approach on Fox News on Monday, arguing that sanctions relief could be used as an incentive in negotiations with Moscow.
“We’ll see if President Trump can spur these peace talks along by lifting some of those Russia sanctions,” Burgum said.
Wright also defended Trump's separate agreement aimed at increasing supplies of Russian diesel on ABC's This Week, characterizing the approach as an incentive for Moscow to reduce its war effort.
“This is a carrot to try to end a war. It’s not an economic lifeline for Russia,” he said.
Not all congressional Republicans have criticized the waiver. Oklahoma Senator James Lankford, who had supported passage of the sanctions law, defended Trump's decision on NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday.
Lankford said Trump was trying to balance pressure on Russia with high energy prices facing Americans and argued that the president continued to support Ukraine through intelligence sharing, weapons and other sanctions on Russian oil companies.
“So any belief that President Trump is aligning with President Putin is not true,” Lankford said.
Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here. Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Edward T. Cummins