Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Sunday defended President Donald Trump’s decision to waive sweeping Russian tariffs and sanctions enacted by the bill championed by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, proclaiming “no one has been tougher” than the commander in chief.

Bessent appeared on NBC News’s Meet the Press and backed Trump’s decision to put a pause on the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, a move that has drawn fierce criticism from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and both parties in Congress. Trump waived the legislation shortly after striking a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to lift the embargo on Russian diesel in an effort to lower energy prices ahead of the midterm elections.