Cornyn, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Sanction Russia, Honor Senator Graham’s Legacy

Cornyn, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Sanction Russia, Honor Senator Graham’s Legacy News Cornyn, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Sanction Russia, Honor Senator Graham’s Legacy July 20, 2026 WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) joined more than 60 of his Senate colleagues in introducing bipartisan legislation to hold major purchasers of Russian oil and gas accountable for supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine. This bill was made possible by an agreement negotiated by U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and the White House prior to Sen. Graham’s passing: “Senator Graham was unyielding in his support for the Ukrainian people as they fight to defend their sovereignty, and I can think of few ways more fitting to honor him than by finishing what he started and imposing strict sanctions on the bad actors who have supported Russia’s war against Ukraine,” said Sen. Cornyn. “I’m proud to join with my colleagues on this bipartisan legislation, which will honor Lindsey’s legacy, help dismantle Putin’s war machine, and strengthen U.S. national security.” U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) is leading this legislation. Background: The Sanctioning Russia Act would impose primary and secondary sanctions against Russian officials and other 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 Shadow Fleet that Russia assembled to evade sanctions. The legislation also directs the President to impose tariffs on imported goods from countries that buy the largest volume of Russian oil or natural gas and enable Russian sanctions evasion. The new text limits these tariffs to the five largest importers of Russian crude oil or natural gas and the five largest facilitators of Russia’s sanctions evasion. Senator Lindsey Graham met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss the effort and secured an agreement with the White House before his death. More information on the legislation is available here .