Graham was a mainstay of politics. And he wanted just one last thing.
And now Lindsey Graham’s dying wish was just revealed.
Hours after Washington laid Sen. Lindsey Graham to rest, the institution he served for decades took its first concrete step toward finishing what he started. The Senate advanced a sweeping sanctions package Tuesday night aimed at choking off Vladimir Putin’s war machine — a cause Graham had championed for years and never got to see through.
A Bill Renamed in Memory of Its Original Champion
The legislation carried a bipartisan wave through its first procedural test Tuesday night. It’s not a new idea — the bill has gone through several versions since Graham and Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., first drafted it together — but it now carries Graham’s name and a broader scope, having been expanded to include fresh sanctions against Iran.
“The basic, core function of the bill is to stop purchases of Russian oil and gas from fueling Putin’s war machine, and we’re at a really pivotal time for Ukraine,” Blumenthal said.
Leading the renaming effort were Blumenthal and Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., who took up her late brother’s sanctions push after his passing. The two announced a deal to formally title the package the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, with backers arguing that attaching his name to the law is the clearest way to preserve his legacy — and his relentless advocacy for Ukraine — for good.
Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, recalled the outsized role Russia sanctions played in his very first conversation with Graham. “Literally the first conversation I ever had with Lindsey Graham was about Russia sanctions,” Husted told Fox News Digital, adding, “I know he was very passionate about this and I know that sanctions are one of the best tools we have for bringing wars to an end without having to commit any of our military.”
What’s Actually in the Bill: Oil Money, Tariffs and Iran
At its core, the legislation is designed to cut off Putin’s biggest revenue stream — oil and gas exports — while also extending sanctions authority against Iran to squeeze funding for its weapons and energy sectors, as negotiators work toward a lasting peace deal in the Middle East.
The package layers in targeted sanctions against Putin himself, along with Russian officials and military leaders, tariffs of up to 500% on Russian imports, and tariffs of up to 100% on nations that continue buying Russian energy, including China and India. Notably, the bill leaves President Donald Trump some discretion over when certain sanctions provisions can be turned off.
Zelenskyy’s Washington Visit Blends Mourning With Diplomacy
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who considered Graham a close ally, traveled to Washington both to attend the senator’s funeral and to meet with President Trump and lawmakers — using the trip to press for the sanctions bill’s passage and to pursue a deal for additional anti-ballistic missile defenses in Ukraine’s war against Russia.
“First and foremost, I offered President Trump our condolences on the passing of Lindsey Graham. He was a true friend of Ukraine,” Zelenskyy wrote on X, adding, “The President and I discussed licenses for Patriot interceptor production and several other ideas that could help. We also spoke about diplomacy – it’s important that the diplomatic process be reinvigorated.”
