Senate passes Lindsey Graham Russia-Iran sanctions bill, 86–11

On August 7, 2026, the Senate passed H.R. 5334, the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, by 86 yeas to 11 nays (Vote No. 224). The bill cleared the 60-vote threshold it needed, and three senators — Blackburn, Lummis and McConnell — did not vote.

The bill is meant to squeeze the money Russia uses to fund its war in Ukraine. It would require the President to freeze the U.S. assets of, and deny U.S. visas to, named Russian officials — including the Russian president and certain military commanders. It also goes after countries that keep buying Russian energy: the President would have to place tariffs of up to 100% on goods from any of the five largest buyers of Russian crude oil or natural gas that keeps making new purchases after the bill becomes law. On top of that, it bars U.S. companies from selling American energy to Russia, blocks Americans from making new investments in Russia or buying its government debt, and stops Russian state-linked companies from trading on U.S. stock exchanges. The bill also does two unrelated things: it extends a 1996 Iran sanctions law through 2031 and lets early childhood educators claim the teacher tax deduction.

The bill takes its name from the late senator who drove it. The Senate passed H.R. 5334 "to impose sanctions and other measures with respect to the Russian Federation, as championed by the late Senator Lindsey O. Graham." Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a lead sponsor, told the chamber that he and Graham began working on the bill nearly two years earlier, and said it would "impose scorching sanctions on the Russia war machine and the shadow fleet that sustains it." Sen. Jeanne Shaheen said "this legislation is what President Zelenskyy asked us to do" and "what Senator Graham worked so hard to achieve."

The bill was not without opposition. Before final passage, the Senate rejected, by 32 yeas to 64 nays (Vote No. 223), a Paul amendment to strike the provision relating to duties on countries that purchase Russian-origin crude oil or natural gas or facilitate sanctions evasion. Sen. Rand Paul had argued that the bill "contains the largest tax increase ever passed by a Republican Congress" and "transfers the taxing authority from the legislature to the executive branch," while supporters countered that the tariff provisions were narrowly targeted at the five largest purchasers of Russian oil and gas and were essential to the bill.

Having passed the Senate as amended, the bill now moves to the House.