Politics

Senate Passes Lindsey Graham’s Neocon-Backed Bill Targeting Russia

(Screenshot/Fox News Sunday)

The Senate passed legislation Friday placing strict sanctions on Russia in honor of the late Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham.

The Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 would target Russian leadership, banks and its oil “shadow fleet” by requiring President Donald Trump to impose tariffs of up to 100% on goods from the top five importers of Russian oil and gas and up to 500% on goods imported from Russia. The upper chamber passed the bill 86-11 in honor of Graham, who passed away suddenly on July 11.

Since the legislation would target the largest buyers of Russian energy, the bill allows for waivers for countries that import less than 15% of Russia’s total natural gas exports and are taking steps to reduce them. China and India are expected to be among the primary targets.

The sanctions would target Russian leaders, key financial institutions, oligarchs and the maritime “shadow fleet.” Many major Russian financial and energy entities are already subject to U.S. sanctions, but the bill would codify additional sanctions measures to make it more difficult for future administrations to remove unilaterally, according to the Atlantic Council.

The Senate included Iran in the bill per Trump’s request, but the sanctions would have little effect since Iran has already been subject to extensive U.S. sanctions for decades, according to the Atlantic Council.

Graham first introduced the bill on April 1, 2025, although it stalled for over a year as the Trump White House wanted more waiver authority over the sanctions and tariffs. The bill was subsequently introduced by Graham’s sister, Republican South Carolina Sen. Darline Graham, on July 16.

The bill had bipartisan support and initially passed in a 86-12 procedural vote on July 28 with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in attendance. Eleven Democrats and Republican Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul voted “no.”

Paul argued in a Fox News op-ed that the bill would “make American families poorer by raising taxes and making imports more expensive through tariffs.

“But don’t let sympathy for Ukraine fool you: this legislation is a tariff bill that seems to have been written with such blind rage that, rather than compel a change in Vladimir Putin’s behavior, its punitive measures would make American families poorer and undermine our national interests,” Paul wrote.

Despite voting to advance it, Democratic Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock placed a hold on the bill, arguing it gave Trump new authority to impose tariffs. The move threatened to delay the vote until after the August recess.

“Supporting Ukraine does not mean giving this unhinged president new powers to raise the price of everything through tariffs,” Warnock said, according to Punchbowl News.

“My hope is to end this war through diplomacy. And the more leverage we have over [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, the better,” Graham said.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Republican Alabama Sen. Katie Britt, Republican Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton and Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, all supported the legislation. Thune called the bill a “great tribute” to Graham.

“With the tragic and sudden passing of Senator Graham, the Democrats and Republicans in the Senate have joined together to cosponsor the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026. It’s legislation that I hope we can move across the floor,“ Thune said. “It was probably, I would say, in Lindsey’s last days, the thing he cared most passionately about.”

“It’s something he’s worked on for the past year, and I think we all, both Democrats and Republicans, realize not only would this be a great tribute to him and his work and his legacy on national security matters, but it would also be something that would really give the president a tool at his disposal to try and end the war in Ukraine,” Thune continued.

Democratic senators, including Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, opposed giving Trump authority to impose steep tariffs on the major purchasers of Russian oil, which complicated efforts to pass it. Democratic Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal said the latest version narrowed the tariff provisions and ensured European allies would not be targeted.

In the House, Foreign Affairs Committee ranking member Gregory Meeks argued the bill gave Trump too much authority, claiming Trump would rather waive Russian sanctions than impose them.

Graham advocated for spending billions of dollars of taxpayer money on Ukraine, going so far as to call it “the best money [the U.S. has] ever spent” in a May 2023 statement. The statement caused outraged Russian officials to issue an arrest warrant against Graham.

Graham called for the assassination of Russian President Vladimir Putin in a March 2022 statement.