US Senate passes sweeping Russia energy sanctions, next stop US House

Reuters. The U.S. Senate easily passed sweeping Russia sanctions legislation on Friday, (August 7) advancing a long-delayed measure backed by the late Senator Lindsey Graham and setting the stage for consideration by the House of Representatives as soon as next month.

The Senate voted 86 to 11 to pass the "Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026," which would impose sanctions on Russian officials and authorize stiff tariffs on China, India and other countries to reduce their dependence on Russian oil and gas. The  passage of the bill  was read by Graham's sister Darlene Graham, who is currently fulfilling the remainder of his term. 

Broad support for tougher sanctions on Russia may not be enough to secure House passage, with some lawmakers wary that new tariff powers for Trump could raise costs for U.S. importers and consumers while exposing Republicans to political blowback.

Graham, a South Carolina Republican, was among Kyiv's most outspoken allies in Congress in its four-year-old war against Russia, and the bill aims to increase economic pressure on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.

It also includes expanded sanctions on Iran sought by President Donald Trump as lawmakers moved to finally hold a vote on the measure well over a year since it was first introduced on April 1, 2025.

The Senate's Republican leaders had not brought the bill up for a vote because of resistance from Trump, who had kept decisions on sanctions at the White House, not Congress, since starting his second term in January 2025.