US House Passes Sweeping Russia Sanctions Bill Championed by Lindsey Graham

The U.S. House of Representatives approved Wednesday a sweeping Russia sanctions bill championed by the late Senator Lindsey Graham, sending the measure to President Donald Trump after more than a year of congressional debate.

The House passed the legislation by 262 votes to 159 on Wednesday.

The Senate approved the measure last month, leaving Trump’s signature as the final step to make it law.

A White House official said Trump planned to sign the bill.

Graham Measure Clears Final Congressional Hurdle

The legislation, renamed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, was introduced in April 2025 and had faced resistance before advancing through Congress this summer.

Graham, the South Carolina Republican who had been one of the measure’s leading advocates, died suddenly on July 11.

“This means so much to me, and it meant so much to Lindsey,” said Republican Senator Darline Graham, who was appointed to her late brother’s seat.

The Senate passed the legislation last month by 86-11.

In the House, 58 Democrats joined most Republicans in supporting the measure. Seven Republicans voted against it.

Russian Energy Buyers Face Tariff Threat

The bill targets Russia’s energy and defense sectors, along with the so-called shadow fleet of tankers used to circumvent existing sanctions.

It also gives Trump authority to impose tariffs of up to 100% on countries purchasing Russian oil and gas, including major importers such as China and India.

China accounted for 51% of Moscow’s revenues among Russia’s five largest fossil-fuel importers, according to Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the senior Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

The measure also extends sanctions on Iran until 2031.

Supporters argue that targeting countries buying Russian energy would reduce the revenue available to Moscow to finance its war in Ukraine.

“This will hit them where it really hurts and will provide the leverage necessary to get Putin to the table,” Republican Representative Michael McCaul of Texas said.

McCaul, a lead House sponsor, said the tariff powers could also place pressure on China because of its purchases of Russian energy.

Democrats Split Over Trump’s Powers

The legislation secured bipartisan support but divided House Democrats over the scale of the tariff authority it grants the president.

Opponents argued that Trump already possesses substantial sanctions powers and warned that the legislation could give him broad discretion to impose tariffs on U.S. partners.

Representative Gregory Meeks of New York, the senior Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said the measure “hands President Trump broad new tariff powers” while also allowing sanctions to be waived.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries also opposed the bill, arguing that its waiver provisions could prevent sanctions from being applied while giving Trump wider tariff authority.

Foreign policy analyst Thomas Wright of the Brookings Institution similarly questioned whether expanding presidential tariff powers outweighed the bill's value.

Trump has relied heavily on tariffs as a foreign-policy instrument during his second term and had previously favored retaining executive control over both tariffs and sanctions rather than legislating them with Congress.

White House Pressed for Passage

The bill had remained stalled for more than a year before advancing after Trump allowed Republican congressional leaders to move toward a vote in July 2026.

The White House subsequently pressed House Republican leaders to move the measure forward, according to people familiar with the planning.

Its passage marks the most significant Ukraine-related legislation Congress has approved since Trump returned to the White House and Republicans took control of both chambers in January 2025.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had urged lawmakers to approve the bill during a July visit to Capitol Hill and later reiterated his support.

“It is important that it becomes law,” Zelensky said this week.

His sanctions envoy, Vladyslav Vlasiuk, also visited Washington this month for meetings with Republican and Democratic lawmakers and government officials.

Pressure on Moscow

Supporters have framed the legislation as an attempt to increase economic pressure on Russia and strengthen Washington’s leverage over President Vladimir Putin.

“To the people of Ukraine, you are not alone,” Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal said after the House vote. Addressing Putin, he added: “Your economy is reeling. We’re going to throttle your war machine.”

Russia and Ukraine have continued striking infrastructure and other economic targets as the war enters its fifth year.

The congressional action follows recent U.S. diplomatic contacts with both Moscow and Kyiv, including visits by Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff earlier this month and late-August talks in Moscow involving CIA Director John Ratcliffe.