The House of Representatives of the U.S. Congress approved the “Lindsey O. Graham Act on Sanctions Against Russia and Iran of 2026”, which introduces new restrictions against the Russian energy and defense sectors, as well as against the so-called “shadow fleet” of tankers used to circumvent existing sanctions.
The bill also gives U.S. President Donald Trump the authority to impose tariffs of up to 100% against China, India, and other countries if that is needed to reduce their purchases of Russian oil and gas. The document also includes expanded sanctions against Iran.
In the House of Representatives, 262 lawmakers voted for the bill, and 159 against it; it was supported by almost all Republicans and 58 Democrats. The Senate approved the document in August by 86 votes to 11, and two days earlier the House Rules Committee supported bringing it to a vote by the full chamber.
According to Reuters, this is the most significant Ukraine-related document adopted by Congress since Trump returned to the White House and both chambers came under Republican control in January 2025. Lindsey Graham and several dozen senators introduced the initiative back in April 2025, and Republican congressional leadership received Trump’s approval for a vote only in July 2026, several days before Graham’s death.
After that, the bill was named in his honor. Some Democrats in the House of Representatives opposed it, believing that the document gives Trump overly broad tariff powers, including against U.S. allies, and allows the sanctions it provides for not to be imposed if the president deems them contrary to the country’s national interests.
The leader of the Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives, Hakeem Jeffries, said that because of these exceptions, new sanctions capable of harming Russia may never be imposed.
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