Senators from both parties are seeking to pass a long-delayed Russia sanctions bill championed by the late Senator Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican who died unexpectedly on Saturday night, July 11th, 2026. Graham had recently returned from a trip to Ukraine where he announced that the White House had agreed to support his bipartisan legislation aimed at sanctioning purchasers of Russian oil.

The bill, originally introduced by Connecticut Democrat Richard Blumenthal, is designed to cut off a key source of funding for Russia’s war against Ukraine. It has been stalled in Congress for over a year. Initially, the White House was reluctant to push the bill, preferring to negotiate a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.

Following Graham's death, senators expressed determination to move the legislation forward. A South Dakota Republican noted, “The White House obviously had been working closely with Lindsey and his team on this. There are Democrats who are involved in it.” Pennsylvania Republican Brian Fitzpatrick, a House cosponsor of the Sanctioning Russia Act, pledged to see the legislation through to completion.

A New York Democrat called on Senator Thune to bring the bill to the floor immediately in honor of Graham, stating, “It will pass overwhelmingly, and help our allies in Ukraine.” Lawmakers emphasized the urgency, saying, “As Russia intensifies its slaughter of civilians, it is imperative that the legislative and executive branches work together to create tools to exact a heavy price on those who buy Russian oil and natural gas, fueling the Putin war machine.”

One senator expressed confidence that the bill would become law soon: “When I get back to Washington, I’m going to go with Senator Blumenthal to the Republican and Democratic leader to see if we can find time to move this Russian sanctions package that would give tools to President Trump to help end this war.”