The United States Senate voted 86 to 11 to approve a bill tightening sanctions against Russia and Iran, television network CNN reported.
The measure is named in honor of the late Senator Lindsey Graham, who played a key role in negotiations that lasted for more than a year. The legislation will next be considered by the United States House of Representatives after senators voted on the proposal prior to starting a five-week summer recess.
The document provides for sanctions against Russian officials and gives the President of the United States authority to impose 100 percent tariffs on the five largest importers of Russian oil and gas. Reuters reported that those importers could include China, India, Japan, and several European countries, though the president would be allowed to suspend the measures for national security reasons.
Opposition and procedural votes in the Senate
The legislation was first introduced in April by a bipartisan group of senators led by Graham and Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut. On the night of July 30, the initiative passed a second procedural vote in the Senate by 84 votes to 12. However, Reuters reported in late July that the bill faced the risk of failure due to opposition in the House of Representatives despite broad bipartisan support in the Senate.
Democratic Senators Ron Wyden and Richard Neal described the latest draft of the Russia sanctions legislation as a recipe for chaos and higher tariffs. Other Democratic lawmakers also raised concerns about the broad executive powers granted to the president under the proposal.
Democratic Senator Peter Welch of Vermont voted against the bill in July and called for limits on executive authority regarding tariffs. Welch stated that Graham might have persuaded President Donald Trump to use the authority for limited purposes, but argued that without him the language of the text must be made more specific. Welch said the draft fatally lacks detail on which nations count as accomplices or what actions constitute aiding, warning that it represents an unconditional transfer of tariff power that would allow the executive branch to penalize any country for any reason.
Lawmaker reactions and potential implementation
Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia voted for the procedural motion while expressing hope for future amendments. Warnock said the current text gives the president wide latitude to advance a tariff regime, adding he saw little reason to believe the executive would act as needed. American media noted that resistance from Democrats could widen divisions over US policy toward Ukraine.
Republican Senator Rand Paul opposed the legislation, stating it would make American citizens poorer by creating new taxes through higher import tariffs. Paul said the authors of the bill failed to understand that raising tariffs would not bring peace to Ukraine but would intentionally impoverish American families.
Vladyslav Vlasyuk, sanctions policy commissioner for the President of Ukraine, stated that US sanctions could be introduced in autumn 2026. Vlasyuk said the bill is expected to move to the House of Representatives in early September, pass there, and go to the White House for signature. President Donald Trump declined to fully endorse the sanctions bill in July, but media reported he signaled a willingness to sign it in memory of Graham.
Legislative legacy of Lindsey Graham
Punchbowl News reporter Andrew Desiderio said the likelihood of the new sanctions bill passing remains low. Desiderio noted he had never seen Graham fight hard for legislation only to return it almost immediately to square one.
Graham, who was known for an anti-Russian stance, died on July 11 at the age of 71. In addition to drafting the sanctions measure, he was an advocate of a hard line on Iran, initially opposing a memorandum of understanding, and remained a consistent defender of Israel.
