Rep. Chu Votes Against H.R. 5334 Over Expanded Presidential Tariff Powers

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Rep. Judy Chu (CA-28) voted against H.R. 5334, the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026. Rep. Chu released the following statement: 

"I strongly support Ukraine and its fight for freedom and democracy. And I believe we should impose tough, meaningful sanctions on Vladimir Putin and those financing his brutal war. But this bill fails to accomplish that. Instead, it hands President Trump the largest transfer of tariff authority Congress has ever given a president: the power to impose tariffs of up to 100% on any country, based solely on his claim they are facilitating sanctions evasion, with no Congressional oversight or legal guardrails.  
 
Trump already has powerful tools to get tough on Russia. Yet when he announced his sweeping global tariffs in April 2025, Russia was left off the list while our allies and trading partners were hit. That record matters because this bill does not require Trump to focus this sweeping new tariff authority on Russia. Instead, it gives his Administration broad discretion to decide which other countries are facilitating Russian sanctions evasion and hit them with tariffs of up to 100 percent. And Congress would have no way to stop him. 
 
California families would be hit especially hard. We import more from the countries most likely to be targeted by this bill than any other state in the country — 35% of our imports, compared to 22% nationally. That means families across the nation would be paying an even higher price for a trade war they had no part in starting. 
 
Trump has already done enough damage to our economy without this bill. His tariffs have raised costs, diesel just hit its highest price on record, and gas prices have soared since he launched his illegal war in Iran. Americans have had to choose between paying for groceries, gas, childcare, and health care, all because of Trump’s self-created affordability crisis. 

We cannot hand Trump even more unchecked tariff power, not disguised as a help for Ukraine and not at the expense of hardworking Americans. We can hold Putin accountable without giving this President a new weapon to use against our own economy. 

For these reasons, I voted no."