Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs Committee have condemned US President Donald Trump for imposing tariffs on India and singling it out over its purchase of Russian oil while exempting China and other nations that have a history of importing even larger volumes. They argued that such policies towards India are damaging both Americans and US-India relations. Amid the discussion, questions were also raised about whether the decision is truly linked to Ukraine.
Citing a media report, the Committee noted that if the Trump administration had enforced secondary sanctions on all countries buying Russian oil, the policy would have been consistent. Instead, targeting only India has created what they called a confusing outcome, as China – the largest importer of Russian energy – continues to buy discounted oil without facing similar penalties.
Instead of imposing sanctions on China or others purchasing larger amounts of Russian oil, Trump's singling out India with tariffs, hurting Americans & sabotaging the US-India relationship in the process.
— House Foreign Affairs Committee Dems (@HouseForeign) August 27, 2025
It's almost like it's not about Ukraine at all.https://t.co/u1pt3iAVC2 pic.twitter.com/lQNAYXTYkC
Quoting a media report, they claimed, “It would be one thing if the Trump administration had opted to follow through on the threat of secondary sanctions for any country that purchases Russian oil. But the decision to focus solely on India has resulted in perhaps the most confusing policy outcome of all: China, the largest importer of Russian energy, is still purchasing oil at discount prices and has so far been spared similar punishment
” The post was shared on X on Wednesday, coinciding with the day the 50 per cent tariffs on imports from India to the United States came into effect. This follows the draft notice published by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) that stated that the order would come into effect from August 27.
According to the notice, the additional duties are being imposed to give effect to the President’s Executive Order 14329 of August 6, 2025, titled “Addressing Threats to the United States by the Government of the Russian Federation.” The order set a new rate of duty on imports of articles that are products of India. The move follows the announcement by U.S. President Donald Trump to raise tariffs on Indian goods to 50 per cent. The CBP said that the Secretary of Homeland Security has determined it necessary to modify the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) in line with the executive order.
The higher duties are applicable to all Indian products that are either entered for consumption in the U.S. or withdrawn from warehouses for consumption. With this, the 50 percent tariffs on India’s imports to the U.S. are now in effect.
