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The Senate overwhelmingly approved sweeping new sanctions on Russia on Friday, sending a long-delayed bipartisan measure to the House that would give President Donald Trump authority to impose tariffs of up to 100% on major buyers of Russian oil and natural gas.
The 86-11 vote marked a major breakthrough for legislation that had been stalled for more than a year amid negotiations with the White House and competing congressional priorities. The bill now heads to the House, where its prospects are less certain after lawmakers left Washington for their five-week August recess.
The legislation, known as the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, would impose sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin, senior government officials, oligarchs, banks and other financial institutions. It also expands sanctions targeting Iran’s energy and weapons sectors.
The measure was championed by the late Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who worked with Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut to build bipartisan support for tougher economic pressure on Moscow.
Bill honors late Lindsey Graham
The legislation gained renewed momentum after Graham’s death in July, shortly after he returned from a trip to Kyiv and announced that he had reached an agreement with the White House to advance an updated version of the sanctions package.
Republican Sen. Darline Graham of South Carolina, who was appointed to fill her brother’s seat, said Lindsey Graham considered the legislation among the most important measures he had ever led.
Blumenthal also invoked his former Senate partner while celebrating Friday’s vote.
“I’m not even going to try to channel my inner Lindsey Graham,” Blumenthal said, recalling that Graham had described the legislation as “a big effing deal.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had also urged lawmakers to pass the legislation as a way to honor Graham’s support for Ukraine. Zelenskyy watched an earlier procedural vote from the Senate gallery after attending Graham’s funeral.
Russia’s biggest energy buyers could face tariffs
One of the bill’s most significant provisions would allow the president to impose tariffs of as much as 100% on the five largest purchasers of Russian oil or natural gas.
China and India are among the largest buyers of Russian crude oil. Europe has historically been a major customer for Russian natural gas, although the European Union has significantly reduced its dependence on Russian supplies since the invasion of Ukraine.
The bill contains exceptions for countries that import less than 15% of their natural gas from Russia and are taking significant steps to reduce those imports.
The legislation also gives Trump authority to waive the sanctions if he certifies to Congress that doing so is in the national interest.
Iran sanctions added at Trump’s request
The bill goes beyond Russia, adding sanctions targeting Iran’s energy and weapons industries at the urging of Trump.
Supporters argue the broader sanctions package would give the administration additional leverage against governments and companies that continue to support or finance U.S. adversaries.
The president’s support was critical to overcoming resistance that had stalled earlier versions of the legislation.
Blumenthal said Friday that Trump now supports the bill and that negotiators believe it can ultimately clear Congress.
“He supports it,” Blumenthal said. “It has taken some time to gain his support, but now that we have it, we need to move forward as quickly as possible to make sure we stand with the people of Ukraine.”
Senate opposition largely fades
The legislation faced several obstacles during its long path through the Senate.
Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky secured a vote on an amendment that would have removed the bill’s tariff authority. Senators rejected the amendment, clearing one of the final major hurdles to passage.
Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia also dropped his opposition after securing a commitment from U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer regarding the scope of Trump’s tariff authority.
Warnock called the agreement a “small but meaningful victory” aimed at preventing the bill from creating an additional avenue for broad presidential tariffs.
House Democrats raise concerns
The legislation’s future is less certain in the House, where some Democrats have already criticized the measure’s tariff provisions and the broad waiver authority granted to Trump.
Reps. Gregory Meeks of New York and Don Beyer of Virginia said Friday that the Senate-passed version was unacceptable.
The lawmakers argued that Trump already has significant authority to sanction Russia under existing law but has declined to use it, while the new legislation would give him sweeping tariff powers.
They warned that those powers could be used beyond the Russia sanctions themselves.
Blumenthal acknowledged that the House will present challenges but said he believes the Senate version represents the legislation most likely to become law.
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said before the House recess that he was encouraged by the agreement between Senate negotiators and the White House.
“We’re happy to receive and process that,” Johnson said.
What comes next
House Democrats have already signaled concerns about the tariff provisions, while some Republicans could also scrutinize the measure’s expansion of presidential authority.
Still, the Senate vote represents the most significant congressional push in more than a year to increase economic pressure on Russia over its war in Ukraine.
For Ukraine, the legislation could provide a new source of leverage against Russia and countries that continue purchasing its energy.
For Trump, the bill would offer expanded tools to pressure Moscow while preserving broad authority to determine when and how the sanctions are imposed.
The measure’s next test will come when the House returns and decides whether to advance, modify or reject the Senate-passed legislation.
