US Senate advances sweeping Russia sanctions bill named after Lindsey Graham

The vote

On Tuesday evening, the U.S. Senate voted 86-12 to advance the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, a sweeping sanctions package targeting Russia's energy exports and those who buy them. The procedural vote came hours after the late senator's funeral at the National Cathedral and a closed-door address by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Finnish President Alexander Stubb to senators at the Capitol. Zelenskiy had long pressed for such measures, telling the Financial Times earlier this month that President Donald Trump liked to be associated with "success" and that Kyiv was "doing very well" with its long-range drone campaign against Russia's energy sector.

What the bill does

The legislation would impose primary and secondary sanctions on Russian officials, oligarchs, banks, and the so-called "shadow fleet" of aging tankers used to evade Western restrictions on oil exports. Most significantly, it grants the president authority to levy 100% tariffs on goods from countries that continue purchasing Russian oil and gas, a provision aimed at top buyers like China, India, and others. The bill also extends sanctions on Iran that were set to expire after 2026, a last-minute addition that broadened its scope.

“We are proud to announce an agreement on legislation to stop purchasers of Russian oil and gas from fueling Putin's war machine and to continue restricting the Iranian regime's ability to support terrorism and build its nuclear program. There is no greater way to honor Senator Graham's legacy than to move forward with this bipartisan agreement, and we look forward to today's vote.”

The revised bill requires the president to impose the sanctions, though he can waive them by certifying a national security need, and mandates regular congressional reporting on enforcement, concessions won by Democrats wary of expanding Trump's tariff authority.

Graham's push and legacy

Senator Lindsey Graham had worked on the legislation since April 2025 with Senator Richard Blumenthal, but the effort hit repeated roadblocks, including resistance from a White House that wanted more leeway on which entities to sanction. In early July, Graham announced from Kyiv that he had secured a deal with the administration on revised text. He died unexpectedly days later at age 71, during his tenth wartime visit to Ukraine. Following his funeral on Tuesday, senators renamed the bill in his honor, and the long-stalled measure gained enough bipartisan momentum to clear the procedural vote.

Political reactions

The legislation drew broad support but exposed some Democratic unease over tariff authority. Senators Richard Neal and Ron Wyden warned in a statement:

“It is extremely dangerous to give Trump massive new tariff powers, particularly after we've seen the disastrous impacts of his corrupt, chaotic, and inflationary tariff spree.”

Yet the bill's 62 co-sponsors and 86-12 vote reflected a rare bipartisan consensus, with Republicans leading the charge and Democrats rallying after Graham's death to honor his hawkish foreign policy legacy.

What comes next

The vote was procedural, and final Senate passage is expected in the coming days. The bill will then move to the House of Representatives, where it enjoys similar bipartisan support but faces a delay because lawmakers have adjourned for their August recess. The White House has signaled it will work to get the package signed into law, though Democrats in the House may still push for amendments to limit tariff powers. If enacted, the sanctions would mark a significant escalation in U.S. economic pressure on Moscow and its energy customers, tying the bill directly to the memory of a senator who made it his final mission.