Trump signs order waiving Russia sanctions under the Lindsay Graham Act before they take effect

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday evening directing that sanctions required under the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 be waived before they take effect under the new legislative package, according to the White House order published on the administration’s presidential actions site. The action comes after the president signed the underlying sanctions legislation into law last month.

The White House order says it is issued “by the authority vested in me as President” and explicitly cites the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, codified at 22 U.S.C. 10802 et seq., along with section 301 of title 3, United States Code. It lays out the administration’s determinations and directs how specific sanctions triggers in the law are to be handled, including the waiver of sanctions that would otherwise be implemented at a later date.

The legislative package was dedicated in the law’s title to the late Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.), and the White House order ties the waiver directly to implementation of the broader statutory regime. The order’s practical effect is to delay or limit the immediate application of certain restrictions that would have begun once the law’s timelines ran, pending the administration’s directed approach.

The sanctions law was signed by Trump on October 9, 2026, according to a separate White House entry listing congressional bills signed into law. With the statute now in effect, the executive order functions as the administration’s implementation step, specifying how the sanctions should be carried out and when.

The administration’s order does not change the existence of the sanctions law itself, but it changes the timing and initial rollout of at least some of the required measures. That matters for enforcement and compliance planning by entities that would be affected by the sanctions regime, since licensing, prohibited transactions, and other compliance obligations often depend on when specific restrictions are formally triggered.

Trump’s order also sets up the next phase of implementation by instructing government authorities on how to apply the Graham Act going forward. As with other sanctions regimes, the way the executive branch administers deadlines and waiver determinations can influence how quickly the executive branch directs agencies to pursue enforcement actions and how quickly regulated parties adjust their operations to avoid violations.

The White House order is posted as the definitive executive-branch record for the waiver direction at this time. Any further details on which specific sanctions are waived, for how long, and what conditions apply are contained in the order’s provisions and will be implemented through the relevant agencies responsible for sanctions administration, consistent with the law’s statutory framework.