Washington DC - Lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle on Saturday sharply criticized Republican President Donald Trump after he signed an executive order that waived sweeping sanctions and tariffs targeting Russia – measures adopted by Congress last month.

"Beyond irresponsible," Republican Senator Thom Tillis, a frequent Trump critic who will leave office in January 2027, said in a post on X.

"If the President wants to actually bring down energy prices, he can do it by solving the Iran problem, not by doing a solid for Vladimir Putin."

Ted Cruz, a senior Republican senator from Texas, called the move "a mistake" in comments aired on Fox News.

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The law passed in September included sanctions targeting Russian officials, oligarchs and financial institutions, and provided Trump with the authority to impose sanctions on major buyers of Russian oil and gas.

The idea was to cut off sources of Russia's funding for its war on Ukraine.

But late Friday, two days before the law was due to take effect, Trump exempted Russia from those economic restrictions.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the move "encourages" Putin to keep attacking Kyiv and offered him "financial rewards."

Trump's decision also came on the heels of an agreement between Washington and Moscow that allows the US to import Russian diesel.

"I urge the president to reverse course," Republican lawmaker Michael McCaul of Texas said on X.

John Cornyn, a Republican senator from Texas, said his late colleague Lindsey Graham, whose name was on the original legislation, would be "appalled" by Trump's executive order.

The president's Democratic opponents, who are hoping to regain control of Congress at the polls in November, went on the attack.

"Trump just gave Putin the best birthday gift he'll get this year. By giving the Russian economy life support, Trump's deal with the devil keeps getting dirtier," Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement.

The Lindsey Graham Act had been the first major congressional legislation to target Moscow since Trump returned to office in January 2025.