Lawmakers Aim to Finish Graham’s Final Mission: Russia Sanctions

Sen. Lindsey Graham’s long-awaited Russia sanctions bill is nearing a decisive test in the wake of his death, with Senate negotiators finalizing a revised draft and beginning to lock down the votes needed to bring it to the floor.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Graham’s Democratic cosponsor, said Monday that bill text could be unveiled as soon as Tuesday and potentially receive a vote this week. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said supporters are briefing senators on changes to an earlier version of the bill that would substantially narrow its tariff and waiver provisions.

The developments suggest some momentum toward passage after more than a year of false starts. Graham announced just days before he died that he had secured President Donald Trump’s support.

“He was absolutely ecstatic,” Blumenthal said of Graham’s reaction to Trump’s approval. “I’ve never heard him quite as exuberant. You know, ‘This is a big fucking deal. We all did good.’”

The original bill, which attracted more than 80 bipartisan cosponsors, aimed to choke off the revenue funding Moscow’s war by imposing steep tariffs and secondary sanctions on countries that buy Russian oil and gas, including China and India.

But the bill was tied up in negotiations over how broadly it would punish countries that buy Russian energy and how much discretion Trump would have to impose tariffs and waive sanctions. Shaheen said the final draft “dramatically limits” the number of countries affected.

“We think right now is the time to get this done because [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s lost momentum; he’s on his back foot,” Shaheen said. “The more pressure we can put on him, the greater chance we’ve got to end this war.”

Though Trump has yet to make a public declaration of support, Blumenthal said the Trump administration gave the measure an emphatic green light “in writing” shortly before Graham’s death. That agreement — aimed at punishing Russia for its war against Ukraine — followed months of negotiations with the White House.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune had not committed to giving the bill a vote as of Monday. He said that passing it “would be a great tribute and legacy for Lindsey,” given Graham’s passion for the project, but acknowledged the next steps remained uncertain.

“We’re assessing that,” Thune said. “Obviously, Lindsey was the man driving that, the driving force behind it. But there are others who have a deep interest in it. So it would be great if we could figure out a way, a path forward to get that done.”

Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the No. 2 Democrat in the chamber, said the bill’s fate ultimately rests with the person Graham was uniquely positioned to persuade: Trump.

“It is in the hands of one man,” Durbin said. “When President Trump believes it’s the right time — for whatever reason: to put an end to the Ukrainian war, to pay tribute to Lindsey Graham, whatever his motive — it is the president’s decision.”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer praised Graham, pressing Thune in a floor speech Monday to advance the bill.

“I urge Sen. Thune, in honor of Lindsey, to put the Russian sanctions bill on the floor immediately,” Schumer said. “It will pass overwhelmingly and help our allies in Ukraine.”

Lawmakers are also weighing whether Graham’s sister, Darline Graham Nordone, who will serve out his term, should become the bill’s lead sponsor.

Senate Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi), a Ukraine supporter who favors the sanctions, told NOTUS she should “act as the lead.”

“There’ll be plenty of tributes to Lindsey Graham, all of them deserved,” Wicker said. “But it is good policy that this talented senator named Lindsey Graham was able to persuade the president to support.”

Not all Republicans agree. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) said he would try to block the bill from moving quickly, arguing that steep tariffs on countries buying Russian energy could severely disrupt global trade and produce unintended economic consequences.

“Many people didn’t think through in advance of the Iran war what happens to the world economy when the Strait of Hormuz are threatened and continually threatened,” he said. “They should try to think in advance of unintended consequences.”

While the Senate is expected to take the lead on Russian sanctions, there appears to be support for the measure in the lower chamber as well. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) pledged to introduce companion legislation, while Rep. Joe Wilson (R-South Carolina), a cochair of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus, said he hopes lawmakers rename the bill for Graham.

Wilson said the measure’s secondary sanctions are essential because Russia has learned to evade direct sanctions through shadow fleets and other workarounds.

Washington’s potential political moves against Russia would reverberate in Ukraine, where Graham’s frequent travels made him popular among everyday Ukrainians according to Mykola Davydiuk, a Ukrainian political scientist and member of parliament.

To Ukrainian officials, Graham was an influential advocate who could carry their case directly to a president whose advisers and allies have been divided over continued support for the war.

Davydiuk told NOTUS he was not sure who could replace Graham in that role.

“Maybe his death could unite both parties and give those votes,” Davydiuk said, “to finish and to complete his legacy finally because he fought against autocracy.”