The Senate voted 86-11 on Friday to approve a bipartisan Russia sanctions bill championed by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, advancing legislation designed to squeeze Moscow’s energy revenue and penalize nations that keep buying Russian oil and gas. The bill now moves to the House, where Speaker Mike Johnson has voiced support but some Democrats warn it would hand President Trump sweeping new tariff authority.
The legislation, formally named the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, honors the South Carolina Republican who died last month at 71. The Guardian reported that the measure was renamed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act, a shorter form used by some outlets. Graham had spent his final days working to advance the bill, meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and announcing a deal with the White House. He died following a trip to Kyiv. His sister, Sen. Darline Graham, appointed to fill his seat, presided over the Senate and announced the bill’s passage.
Darline Graham said from the Senate floor that her late brother was a foreign policy and national security expert as well as a peacemaker determined to end the conflict in Ukraine. She said the war is primarily funded by revenue Russia collects from energy sales, and that without those profits the ability to fund the war would be crippled. This legislation, she said, hits Putin where it hurts.
How the bill works
The measure would impose new sanctions and visa bans on Russian President Vladimir Putin, top military commanders, oligarchs, and financial institutions. It would also allow Trump to impose levies of up to 100% on goods from countries that rank among the top five importers of Russian oil and gas, a group that includes China and India. The Guardian reported the bill would also put tariffs of up to 500% on Russia’s exports. At Trump’s request, the legislation extends sanctions on Iran’s weapons and energy sectors, according to CNBC.
Darline Graham framed the bill as a stark choice for Russia’s trading partners. “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,” she said. 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 Senate took its first step toward advancing the bill last month, on the day of Graham’s funeral, with Zelenskyy watching from the chamber. The effort had been mired in months of negotiations between the White House and Senate leadership before Graham’s death broke the logjam. After the vote, Zelenskyy thanked the Senate on X, writing that the bill’s advancement “certainly helps increase pressure on the aggressor to bring this insane Russian war against our independence and our people to an end.”
Democratic dissent over tariff powers
Rand Paul of Kentucky was the sole Republican to oppose the legislation. He was joined by 10 Democrats. Among them was Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, who told CNBC she supports sanctions on Russia but believes the bill gives too much tariff authority to Trump. “It provides too much room for him to do things that are unpredictable and that actually harms the situation,” she said.
Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, who also voted no, offered an amendment with Paul that would have stripped some of the new tariff authority from the bill. The Senate rejected it 32-64. “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,” Wyden said. “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.”
In the House, Reps. Gregory Meeks of New York and Don Beyer of Virginia, both Democrats, said in a statement that they are concerned about the tariff authority the measure would give the president, CNBC reported. They also noted that Trump already has the legal ability to impose sanctions on Russian leaders and other nations should he choose to do so. Johnson may face opposition similar to Hirono’s in the closely divided House.
Despite the opposition, the bill drew support from across the aisle. Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, who worked on the legislation with Graham, told reporters on Capitol Hill that Graham would be “proud of what we’ve done.” “These sledgehammer sanctions and tariffs will stop all who are complicit in this murderous, criminal war of aggression against a brave free people,” he said. “To the people of Ukraine, we are with you.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer urged Trump to use the sanctions aggressively. “By imposing steep sanctions that will further drain the Kremlin’s war chest, Congress is delivering an important reminder to Putin and his allies that this is a losing war and authoritarianism will never go unchallenged,” Schumer said. “I urge Trump to use these sanctions to hit Putin where it hurts. Continuing to appease Putin won’t work.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the vote on X. “Together, let us drain Russia’s means to continue a war it cannot win,” she wrote. “With hard-hitting, complementary sanctions, Europe and the United States can once again show what historic partners can achieve when we act together.” The House, currently on recess, may take up the measure when it returns at the end of August. Johnson will not have many votes to spare. Trump has signaled support for the bill, as has the speaker, but Democratic objections over tariff authority could complicate its path to the president’s desk.