U.S. Senators Katie Britt, Darline Graham, Richard Blumenthal, Jeanne Shaheen, Roger Wicker Lead Bipartisan Group of 62 Senators in Announcing Russia Sanctions Legislation in Honor of U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham

‘[Lindsey] said that this would be the most consequential piece of legislation that he ever had an opportunity to get behind and get to the President’s desk…’ WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Darline Graham (R-S.C.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), and 57 of their bipartisan Senate colleagues today honored the late Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) by introducing legislation for which he secured White House support—the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026 —to hold major purchasers of Russian oil and gas accountable for supporting Russia’s war against Ukraine. This legislation has rapidly gained support and now has a group of 62 Senators who are committed to its passage. Senator Britt participates in a press conference on Tuesday, July 14, to honor Senator Lindsey Graham and discuss details of this legislation. Senator Lindsey Graham met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss the effort last week at the 2026 NATO Summit and secured an agreement with the White House on Friday. Senators Graham and Blumenthal first introduced legislation in April 2025 to bring primary and secondary sanctions against Russia and actors supporting Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and have spent the last year building support for the effort in Congress and the Administration. Senator Britt said, “One of the many pillars of Senator Graham’s exemplary career of public service was his dedication to putting America’s national security first and promoting liberty around the world. It is an honor to help champion one of his highest priorities: imposing crushing sanctions to cripple Russia’s war machine and hold those fueling it accountable. Putin’s war against Ukraine has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, and it must end. Lindsey believed that getting this legislation passed and signed into law would be the most consequential thing he achieved in his career. I am sincerely grateful to Senators Darline Graham, Blumenthal, Shaheen, and Wicker for their continued leadership on this issue and, very importantly, for the support of President Trump and the White House—these sanctions will provide President Trump with a critical tool to hold Russia accountable and secure a lasting peace.” “Until the very day he passed, Lindsey remained focused on passing the Russia sanctions bill. Passing this legislation would honor my brother’s steadfast commitment to our national security and it would provide President Trump with additional leverage to bring this war to an end. I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass this legislation and send it to President Trump’s desk,” said Senator Darline Graham. “Ukraine is at a critical crossroads — and we must meet this pivotal moment with a powerful sanctions bill. As Ukraine turns the tide on the battlefield, our Russia sanctions bill would be historically impactful in stopping Russia’s murderous slaughter,” said Senator Blumenthal. “When Senator Graham and I last spoke, he was absolutely exultant, calling from Kyiv with news that that President Trump would support this bill to impose scorching tariffs and sanctions on purchasers of Russian oil and stop them from fueling Putin’s war machine. Now is the time to push Russia toward peace. Ukraine is gaining net territory and reaching deep into Russia with its drones and missiles. Sanctions provide a path toward peace. Our bill is the product of lengthy, detailed, difficult bipartisan work, and now has broad bipartisan support. Passing this legislation right now would be a fitting tribute to Senator Graham’s fierce support for Ukraine’s freedom.” “Lindsey was a firm believer that the United States is a force for good around the world, and he worked tirelessly on this important effort,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune. “I’m proud to support this legislation that not only honors our friend and colleague, but will also promote peace by cutting off the funding fueling Russia’s war machine. I can’t think of a better way to honor his legacy.” “Russia is losing ground, it is suffering tens of thousands of casualties each month and Ukraine continues to bring the consequences of the war to the Kremlin’s doorstep through its deep strike campaign. Putin is in an incredibly precarious position both at home and on the battlefield. This legislation would level tough new sanctions on Russia and choke off key export markets for the energy it sells to fund its war machine. We must seize on the opportunity before us to finally exert economic pressure on the Kremlin and bring this war to a close,” said Senator Shaheen. “We should enact this bipartisan measure to exert maximum economic pressure on Putin’s war machine and help bring this unjust war to an end,” said Senator Wicker. “South Carolina lost a statesman, and I lost a friend. Lindsey Graham spent his time in the Senate reminding us that peace is protected by strength, and that America has a responsibility to stand up to dictators who threaten our allies, our interests, and the values we hold dear,” said Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott. “This legislation is a fitting way to honor Lindsey’s legacy: tough, principled, and focused on keeping America safe. Lindsey would be proud to see Republicans and Democrats come together in support of his and the President’s goal to end Moscow’s senseless war in Ukraine.” Joining Senators Britt, Graham, Blumenthal, Shaheen, and Wicker in introducing the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026 are Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.Dak.), Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Chair of the Senate Banking Committee Tim Scott (R-S.C.), and Senators Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), James Lankford (R-Okla.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Jon Husted (R-Ohio), Alan Armstrong (R-Okla.), John Hoeven (R-N.Dak.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Dave McCormick (R-Pa.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Jim Justice (R-W.Va.), Mike Rounds (R-S.Dak.), John Kennedy (R-La.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.Dak.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Angus King (I-Maine.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), John Curtis (R-Utah), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Adam Schiff (D-Cali.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.). At a press conference announcing the legislation, Senator Britt said, “I want to start by thanking Senators Blumenthal, Shaheen, Wicker, and Senator (Lindsey) Graham. The four of you have kept this moving. You’ve kept it going. You’ve gotten us to this point. But as we know, nobody has done more than Lindsey Graham. This is a moment … he’d love to see. (He) couldn’t believe we were all on one stage … He worked on this tirelessly, relentlessly … He knew it was the right thing to do, and he knew it was what we needed to do. I talked to him after he had spoken with President Trump, and he was overjoyed at talking and landing the plane in a place that we could all get behind, that would hold Putin accountable, and would allow us to move this through the Senate. “Senator Graham was larger than life in a number of ways. He was committed to putting America’s national security first. He was committed to us doing what we needed to do to keep people safe and to make sure we stood firmly on our values. Today, as we stand here, we remember him. We thank him for what he did to get us here. We thank all of his team for all that you did. We know Lindsey is looking down on this moment with a big smile. He said that this would be the most consequential piece of legislation that he ever had an opportunity to get behind and get to the President’s desk. Let’s not forget that, because he did a lot of big things, but this one, he believed would have the largest impact and would make the biggest difference. So, let’s do the right thing. Let’s hold Putin accountable and let’s honor Lindsey Graham as we move this forward.” The Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026 would impose primary and secondary sanctions against Russia and actors supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine. The sanctions target Russian officials, oligarchs, their family members, foreign persons, and Russian banks and financial institutions, as well as the Russian Shadow Fleet. The legislation also directs the President to impose up to 100 percent tariffs on imported goods from countries that buy the majority of Russian oil, gas, and enable Russian sanctions evasion. The new text limits these tariffs to the five largest importers of Russian crude oil or gas or are among the top five facilitators of Russian oil sanctions evasion. The bill exempts countries whose Russian natural gas imports account for less than 15 percent of Russia’s total natural gas exports and that are taking significant steps to reduce those imports. You can read the full text of the bill here and a one-pager on the bill here . The Senator’s full remarks can be found here . ###