The Senate advances a sweeping Russia sanctions bill named in honor of the late Senator Lindsey Graham.
The Senate advanced the 'Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026' by an 86-12 vote on Tuesday. The legislation, which honors the late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, aims to impose tougher sanctions on Moscow and penalize countries that purchase Russian energy exports to fund the war in Ukraine. While the bill received broad bipartisan support, Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky was the only Republican to vote against it, arguing that the massive tariff authorities granted to the President could be counterproductive and costly for American families. Other Democrats, including Senator Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, expressed concerns that the bill delegates significant tariff powers to a President who has demonstrated a history of wielding tariffs recklessly. The administration announced that the bill includes a last-minute addition of extended sanctions against Iran at the request of President Trump. If passed, the bill would allow the President to impose tariffs of up to 100% on the top five purchasers of Russian oil and natural gas.