U.S. Senate Passes Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia And Iran Act, Sends To House

Senate approves Russia sanctions bill named after Sen. Lindsey Graham The bill was approved with overwhelming bipartisan support. ByABC NEWS August 7, 2026, 5:42 PM 1:06 Headlines from ABC News LiveCatch up on the developing stories making headlines. The Senate on Friday approved a long-awaited Russia and Iran sanctions bill named after the late Sen. Lindsey Graham. The bill was approved with overwhelming bipartisan support by a vote of 86-11. _This is a developing story. Please check back for updates._ Related Topics Russia Lindsey Graham !ABC News Sponsored Content by Taboola ABC News Live !ABC News Live 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events

Senate passes sweeping Russia sanctions bill negotiated by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate overwhelmingly approved a punishing Russian sanctions package Friday, the result of a year-long campaign by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham to reinforce U.S. support for Ukraine and try to force President Vladimir Putin’s hand as the grinding war drags on. The bipartisan legislation, which passed the Senate 86-11, would penalize countries that continue to buy Russian oil, gas and other exports seeking to deprive Putin of revenues fueling the war. It comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the Capitol hours after Graham’s funeral, met with senators from both parties and watched from the gallery as the Senate took the first procedural votes last week on the sweeping legislation. “Today, President Zelenskyy is watching from Ukraine — and Putin is watching from Moscow,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., who had worked with the late South Carolina senator on the package. “I would like to think Lindsey Graham is watching, too,” he said. “Today we say to the people of Ukraine: You are not alone. And today we say to Vladimir Putin: You will not conquer Ukraine.” The sweeping show of force from the Senate is the most substantial move yet during President Donald Trump’s second term to shift the dynamic of the more than four-year war, which has now churned longer than World War I. Congress has struggled to ensure U.S. funding and munitions flows to Ukraine, but Trump has given a nod to the sanctions package, putting pressure for the House to take it up for a vote and send it to the White House for his signature. Graham and Blumenthal had announced a deal with the White House on the sanctions legislation on July 10 after more than a year of negotiations with the White House. Graham, who had just returned from Ukraine, died suddenly the next day, likely from an aortic tear. The bipartisan package that carries Graham’s name allows the president to impose tariffs on the world’s top five purchasers of Russian oil or natural gas, including China and India. It provides exceptions for countries that import less than 15% of their natural gas from Russia and are taking steps to reduce those imports. The legislation also includes sanctions on Putin, senior Russian political and military leaders, Russian financial institutions and Russian energy projects. It would expand U.S. sanctions to target older, reflagged oil tankers that Russia uses to circumvent existing U.S. sanctions on Russian oil and energy revenues. Democrats and some Republicans have been wary of giving Trump broad authority to slap tariffs on imports that have spiked prices for goods, worried about inflation and high costs of living for Americans. Those voting against the final package were mostly progressive Democrats. The negotiated bill also includes waiver authority for the president, allowing the White House to waive sanctions or restrictions if the president certifies to Congress that the waiver is in the national interest. Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., who was appointed by the state’s governor to fill her brother’s seat, said he was determined to bring an end to the Ukraine war, and she was honored to carry on his work. “This legislation hits Putin where it hurts,” she said. Bill sends ‘a moral signal’ to Ukraine and its allies Zelenskyy told senators during last week’s private meeting at the Capitol that Ukraine is making gains in the war, but still needs more help from the U.S. He publicly thanked them for the sanctions package and said it would send a “big signal” to Ukraine and its allies of U.S. support. Republican Sen. Todd Young of Indiana, who attended the meeting, said the sanctions legislation “is important as a moral signal to a country that is weary and tired, though holding its own.” New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, said advancing the legislation now, ahead of Russia’s own elections, will put pressure on Putin to seriously revisit prospects for a peace deal. And she warned that every time the U.S. backs away from tough actions, Russia ramps up its attacks. “If we can’t shut down the funding for the war machine that Russia is using against Ukraine, then they’re going to keep at it,” she said. Some say the bill would give Trump too much tariff power The Senate defeated an amendment by Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon that would have removed the new tariff authority for Trump. Paul says it would be too costly for taxpayers, while Wyden and other Democrats say they don’t want to give Trump any new authority to impose tariffs. “We’ve got folks who are walking an economic tightrope here in America,” Wyden said. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., who had held up passage of the package over the tariff authority, said he received a written commitment from the Trump administration through U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer that ensures guardrails. The tariffs would be lifted once the countries are no longer on the lists of those purchasing Russian oil and gas, or helping to evade sanctions, he said. “We should not have to choose between putting a check on Putin’s aggression and putting a check on this president’s tariffs regime,” Warnock said. If Trump “oversteps his power, we will see him in court.” Other Democrats say that while they are wary of giving Trump any new powers, they don’t want to jeopardize the help for Ukraine. “Weighing that against the boost for Ukraine, I think it’s important to support Ukraine right now,” said Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn. Package next goes to the House The momentum from the Senate is expected to press the House to act swiftly on the Russia sanctions package when lawmakers return to session at the end of the month. The House had already passed a separate measure in June that would provide security and reconstruction aid to Ukraine and sanction key segments of the Russian economy. That package pushed by Democrats drew bipartisan support from Republicans, overriding objections from GOP leaders who warned the bill would undermine negotiations designed to achieve a comparable but stronger result.

Washington — After more than a year of negotiations, the Senate on Friday finally passed a bill to impose punishing new sanctions on Russia for its war on Ukraine, approving the measure with overwhelming bipartisan support. Senators had pushed for months for a vote on legislation that would penalize top Russian figures and the biggest buyers of Russian oil to dial up the pressure on Moscow to end the fighting. The Senate voted 86 to 11 to approve the bill, sending it to the House. Over the last year, prior versions of the measure — championed by Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina — were on the verge of moving forward, only to meet resistance from the White House or to be put on the back burner for other priorities or alternate courses of action. The effort to impose fresh sanctions on Russia received another burst of momentum after in July. Graham died shortly after returning from a trip to Kyiv and announcing that a deal had been reached with the White House to move forward on an updated version of the legislation.The bill, titled The Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, allows the president to impose tariffs of up to 100% on the top five purchasers of Russian oil or natural gas. There are exceptions for countries that import less than 15% of their natural gas from Russia and are taking "significant" steps to reduce the imports. It also includes sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin, officials within his government, oligarchs and Russian banks and financial institutions. China and India are the largest buyers of Russian crude oil, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air think tank. Europe has historically been Russia's largest natural gas customer, though the European Union has cut its imports significantly in recent years and is aiming to fully wean itself off Russian gas by next year. The bill also extends sanctions on Iran's energy and weapons sectors. The Iran sanctions were added at the urging of President Trump. It gives the president authority to waive the sanctions if he certifies to Congress that it's in the national interests of the U.S. The vote came together after most opposition faded this week. With any one senator having the ability to slow the path forward, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky secured a vote on an amendment to strip the tariff authority from the bill, which failed. Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia also dropped his opposition after securing a commitment from U.S. Trade Rep. Jamieson Greer. Speaking on the Senate floor Friday morning, Warnock entered a letter from Greer into the record that he said closes a loophole that would expand the president's tariff authority, calling it a "small but meaningful victory for all Americans who continue to suffer under this president's reckless tariffs." After attending Graham's funeral in Washington, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy watched from the Senate gallery as senators advanced the long-stalled sanctions in a June 29 vote. Zelenskyy said it was "deeply symbolic" that Graham's last trip abroad was to Ukraine, adding that the "best way to honor his memory" was to pass the measure. Its potential passage in the House will be delayed since the lower chamber is on its five-week August break. And it's likely to meet resistance from some Democrats who are skeptical about the tariff provisions. "This is not so much a sanctions bill as it is a massive backdoor authority for President Trump to impose more tariffs," Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said last month. Meeks said the legislation would hand Mr. Trump "a Trojan horse for tariff authorities he has repeatedly abused." Before the House left, Speaker Mike Johnson said he was "heartened to hear" that a deal had been reached with the White House. "We're happy to receive and process that," the Louisiana Republican said.

The Senate on Friday passed a major Russia sanctions bill, named for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, who played a key role in the painstaking negotiations over the legislation that lasted over a year. The bill ultimately sailed through the Senate on bipartisan vote, 86 to 11. It would next need a vote in the House, which is currently on recess until September. The package would place mandatory sanctions on top figures in the Russian government, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, as well as Russian oligarchs, state-owned enterprises and foreign companies supporting Russia’s defense industrial base. In addition, it would impose up to a 100% tariff on the top five countries, including China and India, that purchase Russian crude oil and natural gas, with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer determining the final tariff level. It allows an exemption for countries that import less than 15% of Russia’s total natural gas exports and are working to significantly lower their use of Russian natural gas. The day before he died, Graham announced – while standing in front of tanks in the streets of Kyiv, Ukraine – that the administration and the bill’s key Senate backers had finally reached a deal on the package. In the days after he passed, his colleagues rallied for passage of the bill, casting it as a “fitting legacy” for the senator-statesman. “I’ve known this man for 32 years, and I’m willing to say this: this is Lindsey Graham’s greatest achievement,” declared Senate Armed Services Chairman Roger Wicker shortly after Graham’s death. The Senate took its first procedural vote on the package in the hours after Graham’s DC funeral. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who attended the service, met with senators in the Capitol and watched the vote from the gallery above the chamber, alongside Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso and Senate Foreign Relations Chair James Risch. Zelensky told reporters that night, “This bill is very important, and sanctions pressure on Russia is very important, and really gives – It’s not only about money, how Russia, how to stop to finance this war, but it’s also a big signal to Europe, big signal to Ukraine.” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, the lead Democratic co-sponsor of the bill, emphasized that while he had seen Graham at times frustrated with the president over the package, Graham never gave up on it. “He was often as frustrated with the president as any of us, you know. But he accepted it with good humor — not necessarily — maybe accepted is the wrong word, but he never abandoned the cause of the Russia sanctions bill because he knew it was the right thing, and he was totally dedicated to getting it done,” Blumenthal told CNN last month. “His understanding of the president, but also his seeming ability to influence him, again made him a unique figure here. The combination of his alacrity in reaching across to Democrats, but also his continuing ties to Trump were part of his unique role.” The original text of the package, first released in April 2025, had minimum tariffs set to 500%, with fewer exceptions. However, over more than 15 months of negotiations, the administration and congressional negotiators had reached a lower tariff number, but also given the execution power to Greer, rather than the president directly. But in the weeks leading up to this vote, some senators expressed concern over handing the administration any more tariff authority. Sen. Elizabeth Warren told CNN in July, “I’ve been saying for a year and a half we need tougher sanctions against Russia. That’s very, very important. But Donald Trump has shown what he will do with broad tariff authority. Heck, he’s shown what he’ll do even if he doesn’t have authority.” Ultimately, the Senate voted on one amendment to change the tariff language in the package, which failed. Sen. Raphael Warnock had also pushed for an amendment stating that if any nation drops out of the top five importers of Russian oil, they will no longer be subject to the bill’s tariffs, but he withdrew the demand once Greer made that pledge in writing. Blumenthal pushed back on his colleagues concerns, arguing the tariff authority in the package is “narrowly tailored and limited.”

It’s taken well over a year of stops, starts, promises and derailments, but the Senate has at last advanced a bone-crushing package of sanctions against Russia, capping off one of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s biggest fights. The Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act sailed through the Senate on another colossal bipartisan vote and is now headed to the House. It has the backing of President Donald Trump, too. It comes after personal lobbying from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week, who, hours after Graham’s memorial service in Washington, D.C., pleaded with lawmakers to put a check on Russian President Vladimir Putin. "Today, President Zelenskyy is watching from Ukraine, and Putin is watching from Moscow," Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said on the Senate floor. "I would like to think that Lindsey Graham is watching, too." The bill focuses on kneecapping Putin’s war machine by targeting Moscow’s top financial driver: oil and gas sales. It also extends sanction authority against Iran that hampers funding to the country’s weapons and energy sectors as the administration and negotiators abroad seek to find a long-lasting peace agreement for the war in the Middle East. There are also targeted sanctions against Putin, Russian officials and Russian military leaders, up to 500% tariffs on Russian imports, tariffs of up to 100% on the top five countries buying Russian energy, like China and India, and gives Trump flexibility for when to turn off some aspects of the sanctions. The tariff authority, however, threatened one last derailment of the package. Sens. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., initially held up the package over the issue and offered an amendment to solve the problem. Paul, who has staunchly opposed Trump’s tariff strategy since he retook office, argued that slapping tariffs on superpowers working with Russia, like China, would only cause them to cozy up. "These tariffs threaten to undermine America's strategic position in the world," Paul said. "Some naively think that the tariffs will get China to distance themselves from Russia, but it might be the opposite." "Recent history suggests that they will instead push Russia and China together," he continued. "China is not going to get this 100% tariff and say, ‘Oh, we're sorry, we're no longer going to cooperate with Russia.’" Then came Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., who proved to be the last hurdle. But after meeting with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on Thursday, Warnock backed down after receiving a commitment that Trump’s tariff authority was indeed limited to just the top five countries purchasing oil and gas exports from Russia. "We should not have to choose between putting a check on Putin's aggression and putting a check on this president's tariff regime," Warnock said. "That is a false choice, and it is one that I am not willing to accept."

Senate overwhelmingly passes Lindsey Graham's Russia sanctions bill WASHINGTON (TNND) — The Senate approved a Russia sanctions package on Friday, negotiated by the late Senator Lindsey Graham, who worked for nearly a year to garner support for Ukraine as the war with Russia continues. The bipartisan legislation passed overwhelmingly in the Senate 86-11. It will penalize countries that buy Russian oil, gas and other exports in an effort to strip Putin of additional revenue funding the war in Ukraine. The passage comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's trip to Washington, D.C. to meet with President Donald Trump and attend Graham's memorial services. Zelenskyy also visited Capitol Hill in the hours after the funeral, meeting with senators and watching the procedural votes on the bill. Today, President Zelenskyy is watching from Ukraine and Putin is watching from Moscow," Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said. Blumenthal worked closely with Graham on the legislation. "I would like to think Lindsey Graham is watching, too. Today we say to the people of Ukraine: You are not alone. And today we say to Vladimir Putin: You will not conquer Ukraine." Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., who is filling her brother's seat through the end of his term, said he was determined to end the war in Ukraine, saying, "This legislation hits Putin where it hurts." The bill is the biggest move yet during President Donald Trump's second term as the four-year war has surpassed the length of World War I. Trump largely supports the sanctions bill, encouraging the House to take up a vote to send it to the White House. The House already passed a separate measure in June that would provide security and reconstruction aid to Ukraine, as well as sanction key segments of the Russian economy. On July 10, Graham and Blumenthal announced the White House deal on the legislation after over a year of talks. A day later, Graham died suddenly due to a likely aortic tear. The legislation, which carries Graham's name, allows Trump to impose tariffs on the world's top five purchasers of Russian oil and gas, namely China and India. It also has exceptions built in for countries importing less than 15% of their natural gas from Russia, though the countries must show they are taking steps to reduce the imports. The bill sanctions Putin, senior Russian political and military leaders, Russian financial institutions and energy projects, expanding U.S. sanctions to targer old and reflagged oil tankers Russia uses to bypass existing U.S. sanctions on oil and energy. The bill also includes a "waiver authority" for Trump, meaning he can waive sanctions or restrictions if it's in the national interest. _______ The Associated Press contributed to this report.

WASHINGTON — The Senate voted overwhelmingly to pass legislation to impose sanctions against Russia and Iran after months of fits and starts, with the death of Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham providing the final push. The 61-page legislation, renamed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, in honor of the bill’s biggest proponent, is designed to punish major buyers of Russian oil and gas. It also features additional sanctions on Russian leaders, family members and oligarchs. And it allows for targeted tariffs on products from countries that buy most Russian oil and gas, limiting them to the five biggest importers. The vote was 86-11. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said the bill would help protect Ukraine against Russian aggression. “Ukraine is now the largest conflict, literally, since World War II in Europe,” Thune said in a recent floor speech. “And the Ukrainian people have been resilient, worked really, really hard to try and bring this war to an end. But as long as Putin has Russian oil and gas money, he’s able to continue this war. And what this sanctions bill would do would basically cut that off.” After a last-minute demand from President Donald Trump, it also extends sanction authority designed to limit funding toward Iran’s weapons and energy sectors. The bill has been criticized by a group of Democrats and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., with the Democrats arguing that it would give Trump too much tariff authority. It now goes to the Republican-controlled House, where it faces an uncertain future. The Senate deal was announced Tuesday morning by Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., the late senator’s sister and appointed successor, as well as Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.; Katie Britt, R-Ala.; Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H.; Roger Wicker, R-Miss.; and Jim Risch, R-Idaho. The senators struck the deal July 28, less than two weeks after Graham’s unexpected death, saying there was “no greater way to honor” the South Carolinian’s legacy. “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,” the senators said in a joint statement. Senate passage was all but guaranteed after the chamber voted 86-12 to advance the bill procedurally last month, shortly after reaching the deal.

The Senate passed a sweeping Russia sanctions bill that would give President Donald Trump new power to punish countries that buy Russian oil and gas. The bill, which passed 86-11, would impose sanctions on Russian officials, oligarchs, banks, state-owned companies and shadow-fleet vessels. It would also authorize tariffs of up to 100% on goods from the five largest importers of Russian oil or gas and the five leading facilitators of Russian oil sanctions evasion. China and India will likely be among the countries that could be affected. Despite the overwhelming support for the bill, it faced opposition from senators who backed stronger sanctions on Russia but said its tariff provisions gave Trump too much control over trade. Senate Majority Leader John Thune agreed to hold a vote on a bipartisan amendment from Sens. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) to limit that authority. But Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Georgia) sought changes to the tariff language and held up an agreement to expedite the bill, forcing Senate leaders to negotiate a deal before the August recess. Trending Warnock ended his holdout after securing a commitment from U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer that tariffs could not remain in place if a country no longer qualified as a top-five buyer of Russian energy or a facilitator of sanctions evasion. The agreement cleared the way for amendment votes and final passage. Warnock plans to enter Greer’s letter into the Senate record. The Senate rejected the Paul amendment 32-64, preserving the tariff authority backed by the White House. Trump would retain the power to impose tariffs of up to 100% on nearly all goods from major buyers of Russian energy, not just the oil and gas they purchase from Moscow. The final bill allows the president to waive any sanction, restriction or tariff. Before issuing a waiver, the president must certify in writing that it’s in the national interests of the U.S. and submit a report to Congress explaining the decision. Some pro-Ukraine Democrats said the waiver was too broad and warned that Trump could set aside the penalties during talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The bill would also extend the Iran Sanctions Act through 2031. The law gives the president authority to penalize activity tied to Iran’s energy and weapons sectors. Most of the bill would expire five years after enactment. The Iran sanctions extension would remain in place through the end of 2031. The bill had stalled while Trump pursued talks with Putin and sought more control over the sanctions. It began moving after Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut), Jeanne Shaheen (D-New Hampshire) and Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi) reached a White House deal that cut the proposed tariffs on Russian energy buyers from 500% to 100%, narrowed their reach and added the national-interest waiver. The effort gained momentum after Graham’s death. Senators advanced the bill in an 86-12 procedural vote hours after his funeral, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy watching from the Senate gallery after meeting with lawmakers. The bill was named for Graham, who had spent more than a year building support for it with Blumenthal. Ahead of the vote, supporters were trying to head off amendments that could unravel the painstakingly crafted deal for Trump’s support as part of negotiations to ensure the bill would make it to the Senate floor for a vote. The bill now faces an uncertain path in the House, which is out until the end of August. Supporters of an emerging companion bill in the House have expressed confidence it would pass. That bill would be identical to the Senate-passed bill and would be introduced this week with solid Republican backing, according to a person familiar with the negotiations who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private deliberations. That bill was on track this week, the person said, to have eight Republican co-sponsors and eight Democratic sponsors, including Reps. Steny Hoyer of Maryland and Marcy Kaptur of Ohio. Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has said he wouldn’t support “handing President Trump a Trojan horse for tariff authorities he has repeatedly abused,” but the lawmaker said he remained “open to negotiating a good faith compromise.” In June, the House passed a separate measure, sponsored by Meeks, that paired Russia sanctions with new aid and loans for Ukraine. It sanctions parts of the Russian economy but does not give Trump the same tariff authority as the Senate bill. The Senate does not plan to take up the measure because it lacks White House backing and drew limited Republican support.

Senate passes Russia sanctions bill that was long championed by Lindsey Graham The GOP-led Senate has passed a bipartisan Russia sanctions bill, legislation that was led by South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham before his unexpected death last month at the age of 71. The bill, which passed Friday by a vote of 86 to 11, is designed to stifle the Russian economy and bring an end to a war that started in 2022 when President Vladimir Putin launched an invasion of Ukraine that has since cost thousands of civilian lives. The plan would sanction top Russian leaders and introduce harsh new penalties on nations that purchase oil and natural gas from Russia. It gives President Trump the ability to issue tariffs on these importers — up to 100% for major buyers of Russian energy, such as China and India. In addition, the bill extends sanctions against Iran. Shortly before his death, Graham met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and announced he had reached a deal with the White House to support the bill. After his death, Graham's Senate colleagues said they would name the legislation in his honor. "My late brother Lindsey was a foreign policy and national security expert. He was also a peace maker who was determined to bring an end to the conflict in Ukraine," said Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., in remarks from the Senate floor ahead of the vote. Graham was appointed to serve out the remainder of her brother's term. "The war against Ukraine is primarily funded by the revenue Russia rakes in from energy sales," she continued. "Without these profits the ability to fund the war would be crippled. This legislation hits Putin where it hurts. " The legislation will still need to pass the House before it can go to President Trump for his signature. Trump has signaled support for the bill, as has House Speaker Mike Johnson. But the Louisiana Republican will not have many votes to spare, as some House Democrats have voiced opposition to the bill, concerned about granting Trump new tariff authorities.

WASHINGTON, Aug 7 (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate easily passed sweeping Russia sanctions legislation on Friday, advancing a long-delayed measure backed by the late Senator Lindsey Graham and setting the stage for consideration by the House of Representatives as soon as next month. Graham, a South Carolina Republican, was among Kyiv's most outspoken allies in Congress in its four-year-old war against Russia, and the bill aims to increase economic pressure on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine. Sign up here. It also includes expanded sanctions on Iran sought by President Donald Trump as lawmakers moved to finally hold a vote on the measure well over a year since it was first introduced on April 1, 2025. The Senate's Republican leaders had not brought the bill up for a vote because of resistance from Trump, who had kept decisions on sanctions at the White House, not Congress, since starting his second term in January 2025. The Senate voted 86 to 11 to pass the "Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026," which would impose sanctions on Russian officials and authorize stiff tariffs on China, India and other countries to reduce their dependence on Russian oil and gas. Broad support for tougher sanctions on Russia may not be enough to secure House passage, with some lawmakers wary that new tariff powers for Trump could raise costs for U.S. importers and consumers while exposing Republicans to political blowback. Trump's fellow Republicans control slim majorities in both the House and Senate. Only one Senate Republican, Rand Paul of Kentucky, voted against the bill. The chamber erupted into applause after the late senator's sister, Darline Graham, who was appointed to fill his seat, read out the final tally. Before passing the bill, the Senate rejected an amendment sponsored by Paul and Democratic Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon that would have removed the tariff powers. Paul likened tariffs to taxes on American consumers. "Increasing taxes on Americans will not end Putin's war in Ukraine," he said before the amendment vote. TRUMP GETS NEW TARIFF AUTHORITIES If it is approved by the House and signed into law by Trump, the measure would allow the president to impose tariffs of up to 100% on countries that are major consumers of Russian energy, including India, Japan and some countries in the European Union, and leave it to his discretion to lift them. But the legislation's backers insist the tariffs are narrow enough that they would do their intended job of reducing Russian energy revenue that funds its war on Ukraine without negative consequences. "These tariffs have one purpose, to make it more costly for countries to keep buying the Russian energy to fund Putin's war," said Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, in remarks urging "yes" votes. Bill supporters said the agreement is the best opportunity for Congress to pass legislation to support Ukraine and a strong bipartisan Senate vote would provide momentum for it to pass the House. Graham had announced shortly before his sudden death on July 11 that he and Trump agreed finally to move forward with the legislation, for which Graham had been advocating for well over a year. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who attended Graham's funeral in Washington and met with Trump, watched an early procedural vote on the bill last week. He said the sanctions legislation would hit Russia's ability to finance the war, while sending a powerful signal about U.S. support for the Ukrainian people. "It's also a big signal to Europe, big signal to Ukraine, big support of our people, so I'm very thankful," Zelenskiy told reporters at the time. The bill's backers said the legislation lets the president impose targeted tariffs on imported goods from countries that buy the vast majority of Russian oil or gas and enable Russia's evasion of sanctions. They said the bill limits these tariffs to the five largest importers of Russian crude oil or gas and the top five countries that aid Russia’s energy sanctions evasion. The measure includes a provision to prevent a lapse in sanctions authority that restricts funding for Iranian energy and weapons. Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Howard Goller and Alistair Bell Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

By a large, bipartisan margin, the US Senate on Friday approved a bill intended to punish Russia and countries that buy its petroleum exports over the invasion of Ukraine, capping a legislative push that was spurred by the death of its champion, the Republican senator Lindsey Graham. The measure, renamed the Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia Act in honor of the late senator’s work on the issue, was approved by an 86-11 vote. The bill would impose new sanctions and visa bans on Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, and top military commanders, as well as put tariffs of up to 500% on the country’s exports. It would also allow Donald Trump to impose levies of up to 100% on goods from countries that are the top five importers of Russian oil and gas. The proposal was a top priority for Graham, a Republican senator from South Carolina who spent the final days of his life working to advance it. But the effort had became mired in months of negotiations between the White House and Senate leadership. After Graham’s sudden death last month at the age of 71 following a trip to Kyiv, party leaders announced an agreement to get the bill through the chamber and honor his legacy as an ally of Ukraine. The Senate took the first step toward advancing it last month, on the day of Graham’s funeral, with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine’s president, watching from the chamber. “This bill forces those primary countries keeping Russia’s economy afloat to make a simple yet critical choice – a choice between doing business with America or buying cheap Russian energy,” said Darline Graham, the late senator’s sister who was appointed to his seat after his death. She added: “This legislation tells Russia’s customers that the United States of America will not sit by while they fund Putin’s assault.” The bill now heads to the House of Representatives, which may consider once it returns from recess at the end of August. Some Democrats have warned that the bill would give Trump new tariff powers at a time when he has put such levies at the center of his trade policy. “This bill gives him so much discretion that Trump can ultimately decide what countries to tariff, or what countries to exempt. And he can modify tariffs at his will,” said Ron Wyden, a Democratic senator who opposed the bill. “Trump can pick and choose even more countries to tariff every 180 days, but there is no mechanism in this bill for Congress to roll back these tariffs,” he continued. “If Congress passes this bill, members will be condoning the tariff chaos of the last year and a half – and inviting more.” As the Senate stepped up its efforts to get the bill passed last month, the top Democrat on the House foreign affairs committee, Gregory Meeks, called the proposal “a massive backdoor authority for President Trump to impose more tariffs, including on our European allies, that hurt American families”. “The sanctions the bill does contain are entirely at Donald Trump’s discretion, and he has made clear repeatedly that he would rather waive sanctions on Russia than impose new ones,” Meeks said. He encouraged the Senate to consider a compromise over a different bill that the House passed in June over the objections of its Republican leaders to couple new aid to Ukraine with sanctions on Russia. That measure has not been taken up by the Senate.

The Senate on Friday passed sweeping legislation to sanction Russia and impose tariffs on countries purchasing oil and gas from the Kremlin that are helping finance its war against Ukraine. The 86-11 vote sends the measure to the House where its fate is less certain given right-wing opposition to American involvement in the war and Democratic opposition to the bill’s tariff provisions. The bill also includes a renewal of Iran sanctions set to expire in December, per a request from President Trump. The Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Actis named afterthe late South Carolina Republican who authored the initial bill and struck a deal on the latest version with the White House the day before he died from sudden cardiac arrest. His sister Sen. Darline Graham has spent her first few weeks in office working with the bill’s coauthor Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut Democrat, to follow through on her brother’s vow to pass the bill. The sanctions would hit wide swaths of the Russian economy, including its energy, financial and defense industries, as well as Russian oligarchs, businesses and even Russian President Vladimir Putin. 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, which include China and India. The bill also allows the president to impose tariffs on top purchasers of Russian gas, but includes exceptions to ensure European allies are not targeted. The Senate vote might have been unanimous if it were not for the tariff provisions. Multiple Democrats demanded to remove or limit the authority the measure granted to Mr. Trump on that front, which slowed down consideration of the bill. Leadership ultimately allowed a vote on an amendment from Sens. Rand Paul, Kentucky Republican, and Ron Wyden, Oregon Democrat, to remove the tariff provisions, but it failed. “We’ve been talking about cost of living issues nonstop for months and months. And this bill has enormous implications because every time you turn around, Trump’s raised another two, three tariffs,” Mr. Wyden said. Mr. Paul estimates that imposing 100% tariffs on the top importers of Russian and oil and gas would result in a $500 billion tax increase on American consumers. Some of the Democrats who supported the bill put their concerns about the tariff provisions aside in the interest of helping Ukraine win the war. Mr. Blumenthal said the tariff authority in the final version of the bill is limited to far fewer countries than the initial version. He said it ensures European allies who have taken steps to reduce their dependence on Russian oil and gas are not impacted. “There are other important features of the bill, but stopping countries from purchasing Russian oil and gas, or enabling evasion of those restrictions and sanctions, are very important,” Mr. Blumenthal said. He also said removing those provisions would have contradicted a direct request from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who views the tariffs and sanctions as key tools to cut off Russia’s ability to finance the war. Mr. Zelenskyy traveled to Washington last month to attend Graham’s funeral and met with lawmakers on the bill ahead of the Senate’s initial procedural vote. He told them the measure may have more impact on ending the war than anything that’s done on the battlefield. [email protected] View staff page Copyright © 2026 The Washington Times, LLC.Click here for reprint permission. [email protected] View staff page The problematic case of Francesca Hong For Iran, negotiating in good faith ‘worse than drinking poison’ Who’s controlling artificial intelligence?

A sweeping bipartisan vote has revived a sanctions package shaped by years of negotiations, but its toughest test may still lie ahead. According toCNN The US Senate has passed a major bill imposing sanctions on Russia, named in honor of the late Senator Lindsey Graham, who played a key role in the negotiations that lasted more than a year. With bipartisan support, the bill passed the Senate by a vote of 86 to 11. It must now go to the House of Representatives for a vote, although the House is currently in recess until September. The bill would impose mandatory sanctions on senior Russian government officials, including President Vladimir Putin, as well as Russian oligarchs, state-owned enterprises, and foreign companies that support Russia’s defense-industrial base. It also proposes tariffs of up to 100% on five countries that import Russian crude oil and natural gas, including China and India; the final tariff rate would be determined by US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. The bill provides exemptions for countries that import less than 15% of their total natural gas from Russia and are seeking to significantly reduce their use of it. The day before Lindsey Graham’s death, he announced – standing in front of tanks on the streets of Kyiv – that the administration and leading Senate supporters had reached a final agreement on the package. In the days after his death, colleagues supported passage of the bill, calling it a fitting legacy for the statesman senator. “I’ve known this man for 32 years, and I can say this: this is Lindsey Graham’s greatest achievement.” – Richard Blumenthal “The combination of his determination to reach out to Democrats while maintaining ties with Trump was part of his unique role.” – Richard Blumenthal, CNN The original version of the package, first introduced in April 2025, called for minimum tariffs of 500% with a limited list of exceptions. Over more than 15 months of negotiations, the administration and congressional negotiators reached agreement on lower tariffs, but gave enforcement authority to Jamieson Greer rather than to the president himself. Just before the vote, some senators expressed concern about granting the administration broader tariff authority. Senator Elizabeth Warren told CNN in July: “For a year and a half, I’ve been saying that tougher sanctions against Russia are needed. This is extremely important. But Donald Trump has shown what he will do with broad tariff authority.” Ultimately, the Senate voted on one amendment seeking to change the tariff language, but it failed. Senator Raphael Warnock also introduced an amendment stating that if any country dropped out of the top five importers of Russian oil, it would no longer be subject to the bill’s tariffs; he withdrew the measure after Greer promised this in writing. Blumenthal dismissed his colleagues’ concerns, noting that the tariff mechanism in the package is narrowly tailored and limited. The bill now awaits further consideration in the House of Representatives after the recess, where support and possible amendments will determine the final form of the sanctions package. You might be interested in: