The Senate took another small step toward levying sanctions against Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin and Iran in another massive, bipartisan vote.Though not the final vote to pass the long-stalled effort, the latest successful bid to move a bone-crushing sanctions package once championed by the late Sen.Lindsey Graham is no less significant.The upper chamber hopes to complete work on the package, renamed the Lindsey O.
Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, by next week.If successful, the long-awaited legislation will again be put on the shelf, albeit temporarily, until the House returns from its August recess.'A BIG EFFING DEAL': GRAHAM'S FINAL MISSION MOVES FORWARD AFTER HIS DEATHSen.
Lindsey Graham mills about before President Donald Trump delivers the State of the Union address during a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Feb.24, 2026.
(Kenny Holston-Pool/Getty Images)Still, lawmakers are confident that they can get the bill through the next few hurdles and believe that it’s the best way to honor Graham, who made his final trip home to South Carolina on Wednesday for his funeral."This may turn out to be Lindsey Graham's greatest legislative achievement in a stellar 32-year career," Sen.Roger Wicker, R-Miss., said.The bill, which has gone through several iterations, still focuses on kneecapping Putin’s war machine in its ongoing fight with Ukraine.
However, it reinserts sanctions targeted at Iran’s weapons and energy sectors in the hopes of incentivizing a lasting peace deal as the war in the Middle East marches on.PUTIN, RUSSIA PUT ON NOTICE AS SENATE TAKES CRUCIAL STEP TO GRIND DOWN THE KREMLIN’S WAR MACHINEKey components of the legislation allow for up to 500% tariffs on Russian imports, tariffs of up to 100% on countries buying Russian energy, like China and India, and provides President Donald Trump flexibility for when to turn off some aspects of the sanctions.Some Democrats have acknowledged that givin...