Senate Passes Russia and Iran Sanctions Bill 86-11, Sends It to the House

The Senate passed a sweeping Russia sanctions bill on Friday by a vote of 86 to 11, sending it to the House, according to CBS News and NPR. The measure, titled the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, is named for the South Carolina Republican who died in July at age 71.

The bill sanctions Russian President Vladimir Putin, officials in his government, oligarchs and Russian banks and financial institutions, CBS reported. It lets the president impose tariffs of up to 100 percent on the top five buyers of Russian oil or natural gas, such as China and India, according to NPR. Countries that import less than 15 percent of their natural gas from Russia and are taking significant steps to cut those imports are exempt. It also extends sanctions on Iran’s energy and weapons sectors, which were added at President Trump’s urging. The president can waive the measures if he certifies to Congress that doing so serves U.S. national interests.

Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky won a vote on an amendment to strip the tariff authority; it failed, CBS reported. Some Democrats have been skeptical of the tariff provisions. Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia dropped his opposition after securing a commitment from U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, in a letter Warnock entered into the record and says closes a loophole. In the House, Democrats Gregory Meeks and Don Beyer called the current text “unacceptable,” objecting to the broad waiver authority and the new tariff powers.

The bill’s stated aim is to weaken Russia’s economy and help end the war that began in 2022 with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, NPR reported. Senators advanced it on June 29. Graham died suddenly after returning from Kyiv, where he announced a deal with the White House on an updated version, CBS said. His sister, Sen. Darline Graham, who filled his seat, said he believed it was “the most consequential piece of legislation that he had ever led.” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who led the bill with Graham, said Trump supports it and that it “is the bill that will pass.”

The House is on a five-week August recess, so passage will be delayed, CBS reported. Speaker Mike Johnson has said he was “heartened to hear” that a deal had been reached with the White House. NPR said Johnson supports the bill but will have few votes to spare, and that some Democrats are concerned about granting Trump new tariff authorities.