Senate Passes 86-12 Sanctions Bill Named for Lindsey Graham, Hours After His Funeral

Since Senator Lindsey Graham died on July 11 of a torn aorta, the sanctions bill he'd spent three years pushing sat stalled until Tuesday, when the Senate finally moved it forward 86-12, just hours after his funeral at Washington National Cathedral.

The bill is now called the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky flew to Washington both to bury his friend and to lobby the people who could still pass his legacy into law. He sat in the chamber between Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso and Armed Services Chairman Roger Wicker to watch the vote, according to Kurdistan24's reporting, which cited Axios.

Before the vote, Zelensky met behind closed doors with more than 60 senators alongside Finnish President Alexander Stubb, according to the Kyiv Independent. Applause broke out inside the Mansfield Room when the meeting ended. "This bill is very important, sanctions against Russia are very important," Zelensky told reporters afterward. "It's not only about money that helps Russia wage its war, but it's also a big signal to Europe, Ukraine, and our people, so I'm very thankful."

The bill does three concrete things. It sanctions Russian officials, oligarchs, banks and the so-called shadow fleet Moscow uses to move oil around existing restrictions. It extends sanctions on Iran's energy and weapons sectors through 2031, which were otherwise set to lapse this year. And it gives President Trump authority to impose tariffs of up to 100% on the five countries buying the most Russian oil and gas, plus the top five countries helping Russia dodge sanctions.

That tariff number matters, because it represents a change from where Graham started. The original proposal called for 500% tariffs on any country buying Russian oil, gas or uranium, according to the Kyiv Independent. Trump reportedly opposed that stringent version for months, which is a big reason the bill sat parked on Capitol Hill even after most senators had already signaled support. The version that passed Tuesday caps the rate at 100% and narrows the target list to the five biggest buyers, rather than every purchaser worldwide.

Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), the bill's lead Democratic sponsor, made clear who that narrower list is meant to hit. "To be really blunt, China and India are the main culprits here," Blumenthal told reporters Tuesday night, according to Kurdistan24. "They purchase the vast majority of oil and gas. They are fueling Russia's war machine." The Washington Examiner reported Blumenthal specifying the bill is "carefully crafted to make sure we are not hitting our allies." China, India and Turkey are the world's top buyers of Russian crude, while the EU, China and Turkey lead in natural gas purchases, per the Kyiv Independent.

The Iran sanctions weren't part of Graham's original push in the same combined form. The Washington Examiner reported that Trump asked to merge Russia and Iran sanctions into one package after new U.S. troop casualties in the Iran conflict complicated separate negotiations. Blumenthal said Darline Graham, the late senator's sister who was appointed to fill his seat, asked Democrats to restore an Iran sanctions provision that had been in an earlier draft. "That Iran provision was in the bill as originally written, and so restoring it was a pretty simple yes," Blumenthal said.

Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) was the only Republican opposed, consistent with his general skepticism of sanctions legislation on libertarian grounds. Eleven Democrats joined him, but their objections weren't about punishing Russia. Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ) told reporters he backs Zelensky and the sanctions themselves but questioned the tariff authority tucked into the bill. "I support Zelensky," Kim said, according to the Daily Wire. "We're all on board on the sanctions... But why do we need the tariff power in there right now?" Handing the executive branch broad tariff discretion, even aimed at adversaries, is a real expansion of presidential power that Congress doesn't claw back easily once granted.

Tuesday's 86-12 vote was procedural, advancing the bill past a hurdle, not final passage. The Washington Examiner noted it remains unclear when the Senate will hold the final vote, though Kurdistan24 reported final passage is expected later this week. Trump has signaled support for the negotiated version after his own team worked out the tariff caps with Graham before his death. If it clears the Senate and House, the bill heads to Trump's desk, where he would need to sign it for the sanctions and tariff authority to take legal effect. Until then, the shadow fleet Blumenthal referenced keeps moving Russian oil, and the sanctions bearing Graham's name remain, for now, a bill and not a law.