US Congress passes Graham sanctions bill targeting Putin and Russia

The US House of Representatives has approved a sweeping sanctions package targeting Russia, its senior officials and key sources of energy revenue, sending the legislation to President Donald Trump for his signature.

The Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 passed by 262 votes to 159 on Wednesday, September 16. The measure had already cleared the Senate by 86 votes to 11 in August.

The legislation, named after the late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, includes mandatory sanctions targeting Russian President Vladimir Putin and other senior officials, alongside measures against Russian banks, financial institutions, energy companies and individuals supporting the government. It also targets Russia's so-called "shadow fleet" of tankers and networks used to circumvent existing sanctions.

A central provision gives Trump authority to impose tariffs of up to 100 per cent on imports from countries that are among the largest purchasers of Russian crude oil or natural gas, or that are identified as major facilitators of sanctions evasion. The legislation limits the measure to the top five countries in the relevant categories and includes exemptions under certain conditions for countries reducing their reliance on Russian energy.

China and India are among the countries that could face the additional tariffs because of their purchases of Russian energy. The legislation does not automatically impose a 100 per cent tariff on them; rather, it gives the president authority to impose duties of up to that level under the conditions set out in the law.

The bill also extends the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 for five years and expands measures targeting entities and networks linked to Iran's energy and weapons sectors.

The House vote crossed the usual party lines. While most Republicans backed the measure, 58 Democrats also voted in favour. Seven Republicans and 152 Democrats voted against it. Democratic opposition centred largely on concerns that the legislation would give Trump broader authority over tariffs and could affect US allies and the wider trading system.

The legislation had been under development since April 2025, when Graham and Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal introduced an earlier version of the sanctions initiative. Graham continued negotiating the package with lawmakers and the Trump administration before his death on July 11, 2026.

Graham's death came shortly before the Senate advanced the legislation. The bill was subsequently renamed in his honour and incorporated additional provisions on Iran after negotiations with the White House.

The measure now awaits Trump's signature. The president had backed the legislation before the House vote and is expected to sign it into law.

The Kremlin has already criticised the legislation. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday that new US sanctions, if signed into law, would make efforts to reach a peace agreement over Ukraine more difficult.