World
U.S. House Advances Bill Threatening 100% Tariffs On Indian Imports Over Russia Trade
Indian exporters face widening pressure as the tariff threat nears a final
Indian exporters face widening pressure as the tariff threat nears a final
U.S. lawmakers are turning a push into a broader trade threat that could hit India with of up to 100% over its purchases of . The stakes are high because the measure would give the president broad discretion to punish major buyers, putting Indian exporters and policymakers under pressure even before any final decision on enforcement.
The House was scheduled to take a final vote on September 16, making the tariff threat a live political and trade risk for India. If the bill passes, the next major checkpoints would be the Senate and then the , where the president would decide whether to use the authority to impose 100% tariffs on exposed import sectors such as apparel, machinery, electronics, and related goods.
The bill cleared a key House by 214-211, a narrow result that shocked Democratic leadership and moved the package toward final passage. Reports said an to name India and other countries was blocked, but the tariff threat remained because the bill still targeted the top buyers of Russian oil and gas.
The said it would begin consideration of the Russia sanctions bill the following week, bringing the India tariff threat into the . Reuters said the measure would authorize tariffs of up to 100% on major consumers of Russian energy and leave it to the president to decide whether to impose them.
Indian officials said they were holding reassuring talks with Washington as the bill moved forward, while analysts warned that sectors like , machinery, and could be hit hard if tariffs were imposed. The concern was that the United States is a major market for these exports, so the risk extended beyond energy policy into direct commercial damage.
The the measure, moving it closer to legislation that could punish countries buying Russian energy. Reporting at the time said the bill would let the president impose tariffs on major buyers such as India and China, turning a Russia sanctions push into a broader trade threat.
A revised in the Senate kept a new trade penalty aimed at major buyers of Russian energy, cutting the earlier threat from 500% to a maximum of 100%. The change still left India exposed because the mechanism would target top purchasers of Russian oil and gas, not just Russia itself.