Senate Advances Russia-Iran Sanctions Bill in Late Sen. Lindsey Graham's Name as House Sits Out August Recess
The Senate took two more procedural steps this week toward passing a sweeping Russia and Iran sanctions package renamed for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, voting 84-12 Wednesday to formally begin debate a day after an 86-12 vote to advance it — with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy watching from the gallery. The House has already left Washington for its long summer break, so no final action is possible until September at the earliest.
The dominant story on Capitol Hill this week was the Senate's push to advance a long-stalled Russia sanctions bill named for Sen. Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina Republican and prominent Ukraine ally who died suddenly earlier in July. The Senate acted hours after a funeral service for Graham in Washington that Ukraine's president attended. Graham's sister Darline, who was appointed to fill his seat, is a lead sponsor of the bill, which was renamed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026.
The measure moved in stages. On Tuesday, July 28, the legislation cleared a procedural vote — the first of several hurdles before it can become law — with bipartisan support in an 86-12 vote, with eleven Democrats and one Republican, Rand Paul, voting no. Then on Wednesday, the Senate voted 84-12 in favor of a motion to proceed to the legislative vehicle, a step that followed the initial procedural vote to abridge debate on that motion.
What the bill does: according to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, it would impose primary and secondary sanctions against Russia and actors supporting its war, targeting Russian officials, oligarchs, banks and the so-called "shadow fleet," while allowing the president to impose targeted tariffs on goods from the five largest importers of Russian oil or gas. The bill also includes a provision to prevent a lapse in sanctions authority restricting funding for Iran's energy and weapons sectors. Supporters designed it to withstand legal challenge. According to Tech Times, the Supreme Court's February 2026 ruling that a 2025 tariff mechanism did not give the president tariff authority is sidestepped by routing the Graham Act's tariffs through a congressional mandate.
The vote drew unusual attention because of a foreign guest. According to the AP, the Senate took the first steps toward passage with Zelenskyy in the Capitol, moving forward on legislation to penalize countries that continue to buy Russian oil, gas and other exports after more than a year of negotiations. Senators invited the Ukrainian leader to observe part of the vote from the gallery, after which he applauded and said, "thank you."
Timing is the central caveat. The bill still needs final Senate passage, House approval and a presidential signature. But the House has adjourned. The chamber is in a district work period, with next votes expected Monday, August 31. That means any House action is weeks away. In the Senate, leadership hopes to reach agreement with all 100 senators so the package can be adopted before the August recess, but any single senator can object and slow the process.
In other action, the Senate on July 28 confirmed Walter Clayton, of New York, as Director of National Intelligence, a nomination that had cleared a cloture vote 51-43 on July 27. Broader unfinished business looms after the break. According to industry tracker CREFC, the House passed H.R. 9770, the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2027, by 220-205, and passed H.R. 8800, the FY2027 National Defense Authorization Act, before leaving town. The Senate has not yet taken up its own versions, leaving government funding — with a September 30 deadline — as the fall's defining fight.
Highlights: - The Senate voted 84-12 Wednesday, July 29, on a motion to proceed to H.R.5334, the legislative vehicle for the sanctions measure, which would punish certain Russians and Iranians and those who do business with them. - A day earlier, the bill cleared a procedural cloture vote 86-12; eleven Democrats and one Republican, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, voted against advancing it. - The Senate on July 28 also confirmed Walter Clayton, of New York, to be Director of National Intelligence, by a vote of 51-47.