US Congress Passes Sweeping Russia Sanctions Bill, Sends It To Trump

WASHINGTON -- The US Congress on September 16 passed sweeping legislation targeting Russia and Iran, sending to President Donald Trump a sanctions package supporters say will increase pressure on Moscow and countries that help finance its war against Ukraine.

The House of Representatives passed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 by a vote of 262-159, with 203 Republicans, 58 Democrats, and one independent voting in favor. Seven Republicans and 152 Democrats opposed it.

The bill had already passed the Senate by an 86-11 vote last month. It is named for the late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who spent more than a year building bipartisan support for the legislation before his sudden death in July.

Trump is expected to sign it.

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The legislation targets Russian officials, financial institutions, the energy sector, and the country's so-called shadow fleet of tankers. It also gives Trump authority to impose tariffs of up to 100 percent on major purchasers of Russian oil and gas and on countries that help Moscow evade sanctions.

The measure also extends US sanctions on Iran.

Its passage marks the first major bipartisan congressional legislation supporting Ukraine since an emergency aid package approved in April 2024.

Tariffs Divide Democrats

The bill's path through the House was complicated by Democratic opposition centered largely on the additional tariff authority given to Trump.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York said he supports pressuring Russia but could not support what he described as broad new presidential tariff powers.

Representative Gregory Meeks of New York, the ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, likewise said he remained committed to stopping Russia's war against Ukraine but opposed the legislation's tariff provisions.

Meeks said Trump already has substantial authority to sanction Moscow and argued that the bill should have included stronger requirements for the administration to use it.

Fifty-eight Democrats nevertheless voted for the legislation, reflecting continued support among many lawmakers for imposing additional economic costs on Russia.

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Critics also raised concerns that the tariff powers could affect US partners and allies, including European countries that continue to import Russian energy.

But European officials cited after the vote did not echo the broader argument that Europe opposed the legislation.

Hannes Hanso, Estonia's ambassador to the United States, told RFE/RL on September 16 that Tallinn supports strong sanctions against Russia and wants them implemented quickly.

"We support as strong sanctions as possible on Russia," Hanso said. "They are the aggressor, so this now enables very solid, strong, comprehensive sanctions."

Hanso acknowledged that the legislation was not perfect but said the priority was putting the new sanctions into effect. "The sooner we can implement those sanctions against Russia the better," he said.

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The EU has maintained extensive sanctions against Russia, while European governments have continued to call for pressure on Moscow over its war against Ukraine.

For Representative Marcy Kaptur of Ohio, co-chair of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus, the focus now shifts from congressional action to how the Trump administration uses the new powers.

"We're going to pay close attention to the administration and to see what they're going to do with these new powers that have been given," Kaptur told RFE/RL.

'We Have Your Number'

Supporters of the legislation say its tariff provisions are intended to target countries whose purchases of Russian energy help finance Moscow's war.

Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, a Democratic co-author of the legislation, delivered a blunt message to the Kremlin after the vote. "To Vladimir Putin, we have your number," Blumenthal said.

He warned China and India that continued purchases of Russian oil and gas could expose them to the new US measures. "China and India, you better clean up your act, buy your oil and gas somewhere else," he said.

Blumenthal said the legislation was intended to increase pressure on Moscow and force Putin toward negotiations, while stressing that sanctions alone would not be enough.

"Appeasement is not a strategy," he said, adding that Congress would need to continue providing Ukraine with military, economic and political support.

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Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the measure sends an "unmistakable, bipartisan message" to Putin.

"Every dollar Russia earns through illicit energy sales is another dollar Putin can use to buy drones, missiles, and weapons to kill innocent Ukrainians," Shaheen said.

She urged Trump to sign the bill and use the new authorities to pressure Putin into "meaningfully" negotiating an end to the war.

Republican Senator Katie Britt of Alabama, a key supporter of the legislation, said the measure would also hold Iran accountable for what she described as "47 years of terror."

The bill extends the Iran Sanctions Act by five years, maintaining sanctions targeting Iran's energy and weapons sectors.

A Tribute To Graham

The vote also marked the culmination of a campaign led by Graham, who worked with Blumenthal and other senators to build bipartisan support for the legislation.

Graham reached an agreement with the Trump administration shortly before his death that helped clear the way for the Senate vote.

"This means so much to me and it meant so much to Lindsey," Graham's sister, Senator Darline Graham of South Carolina, said after the House vote.

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Representative Michael McCaul of Texas, who introduced the House version of the legislation, said the bill could significantly damage Russia's ability to finance its war.

McCaul said it would "cripple Russia's war machine" and increase pressure on Putin to negotiate.

"Lindsey understood these threats. He had the guts to stand up and confront them, no matter what the political cost was," McCaul said.

"Today, 262 members of the House voted not just for Ukraine, but for freedom and democracy," he added. "And today, we are now one step closer to securing Lindsey's vision of enduring peace in Ukraine and beyond."

House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana said the legislation puts "maximum pressure" on Putin and countries helping Russia evade sanctions.

"For too long, Putin has bankrolled this devastating war with money and resources from countries willing to look the other way, and today, that ends," Johnson said.

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'No More' To Russia

Representative Steny Hoyer of Maryland, a co-author of the House legislation and longtime supporter of Ukraine, said the vote represented a renewed congressional commitment to Kyiv.

"Today, we took a step to redeem our pledge to Ukraine to support their sovereignty and their democracy," Hoyer said.

He linked Russia's current war to the international response to Moscow's seizure of Crimea in 2014.

"No more standing by and rationalizing your behaviors, no more allowing Ukrainians to be killed every night, no more the theft of Eastern Ukraine and of Crimea," Hoyer said.

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Hoyer also said Ukraine should be free to determine its own security arrangements, including whether to join NATO.

He said the House vote should not be regarded as the end of congressional support for Kyiv, adding that he and other lawmakers planned to pursue additional legislation for weapons and military materiel.

"Ukraine's battle is not over, and we must be faithful to the action that we took in the Congress," he said.

In Kyiv, the passage was welcomed as a significant step in strengthening pressure on Moscow.

Ukraine's charge d'affaires in Washington, Denys Sienik, thanked US lawmakers for what he called a "powerful step," saying the legislation would boost the morale of millions of Ukrainians fighting for freedom and peace.