By The Washington Times (Politics) | Created at 2026-07-29 00:19:32 | Updated at 2026-08-08 14:47:26
1 week ago
Senators capped off a day of tributes to their late colleague Lindsey Graham by advancing a sanctions bill he spent his final week of life negotiating.
The measure, recently renamed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, is designed to give the Trump administration more tools to pressure Russia into ending its four-year war against Ukraine.
“It will go after [Russian President] Vladimir Putin, his inner circle and the shadow fleet they use to evade sanctions,” Senate Armed Services Chairman Roger Wicker said.
“It will hold accountable those who purchase the most Russian oil and gas,” the Mississippi Republican said. “It also will take aim at China’s investments in Russian weapons production, and it will maintain sanctions pressure on Iran.”
A key piece of the bill would give President Trump authority to impose up to 100% tariffs on the five major purchasers of Russian oil, with China and India leading the pack.
The initial procedural vote on the measure drew a strong bipartisan showing of 86-12, which senators said shows it is on the path to passing as soon as later this week.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Mr. Graham’s co-author, said they designed the bill to serve “scorching sledgehammer sanctions on Russia.”
“This bill says to Vladimir Putin: ‘Your days of war are numbered. You are on the losing side. Better to come to the table now than sacrifice more lives, waste more money, crater your autonomy, destroy your standing in the world,’” the Connecticut Democrat said. “America stands with Ukraine.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who traveled to Washington to attend Mr. Graham’s funeral, met with senators ahead of the vote Tuesday evening.
He told reporters afterward that the bill the Senate is working to pass would provide “important sanctions pressure on Russia” and stop its ability to finance the war.
“It’s also a big signal to Europe, big signal to Ukraine, big support of our people,” Mr. Zelenskyy said. “So I’m very thankful.”
Mr. Graham labored over the sanctions bill for more than a year, bringing a bipartisan coalition of senators together and securing a deal on a revamped version with the White House the day before his sudden death.
“This may turn out to be Lindsey Graham’s greatest legislative achievement in a stellar 32-year career,” Mr. Wicker said.
