What are the top five buyers of Russian oil and natural gas targeted by the proposed U.S. sanctions bill, and which countries are exempted from the 100% tariffs?

The top five purchasers of Russian crude oil are China, India, Slovakia, Hungary, and Azerbaijan; the top importers of Russian natural gas are China, France, Japan, Hungary, and Belgium. The bill exempts countries that import less than 15% of Russia's natural gas exports and take significant steps to reduce those imports — specifically naming Japan, France, Hungary, and Belgium as exempted. China is not exempted for either oil or gas, and India is listed among the top oil buyers but not among the exempted gas importers, meaning it remains exposed to the 100% tariff unless it meets the exemption criteria.

Why are Democratic lawmakers concerned about the tariff provisions in the bill, and what specific powers do they say the bill grants President Trump?

Democratic lawmakers, including Senator Ron Wyden and Representative Richard Neal, are concerned because the bill grants the U.S. president unilateral authority to impose 100% tariffs on goods from countries importing more than 15% of Russia’s natural gas without taking sufficient reduction steps — with no congressional disapproval mechanism and no expiration of that authority. They argue this outsources trade policy responsibility to a 'runaway executive' and creates vague, expandable criteria that give Trump 'far too much opportunity to abuse these powers', potentially harming American consumers and allies. Representative Gregory Meeks echoed this, calling the bill 'a massive backdoor authority for President Trump to impose more tariffs, including on our European allies, that hurt American families.'