A Russia and Iran sanctions bill named after the late Sen. Lindsey Graham overwhelmingly passed on the House floor Wednesday, sending the long-awaited legislation to President Donald Trump’s desk for signature.
The measure passed, 262-159, with 58 Democrats supporting the sanctions package and just seven Republicans opposing it.
The legislation was crafted to cripple Russia amid its war against Ukraine and extends sanctions against Iran’s energy and weapons industries that were set to expire this year after Trump requested to consolidate sanctions against the two countries into one bill.
It also allows Trump to impose tariffs against the five largest importers of Russian oil and gas, as well as the top five countries that help Russia avoid sanctions.
Democrats were divided over the measure, underlined by the 152 Democrats voting against the bill. The caucus weighed supporting Ukraine against concerns the bill would increase Trump’s tariff authority and does not include strong enough language to ensure the president imposes the sanctions.
“If this bill passes, I predict Ukraine’s supporters will regret it,” Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) said during a floor debate on the legislation. “Yes, they will be able to say ‘we stood with Ukraine,’ in the immediate aftermath. But when Donald Trump hits our allies with new tariffs and waives sanctions on Russia, the propaganda victory for Putin will be lasting, and the damage will be embedded in U.S. law.”
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He continued, “Meanwhile, the Ukrainian cause will be tied to Trump’s widely hated tariffs, deeply unpopular in America already, and further stressing Americans’ pocketbooks, [which] is not good for Ukraine’s long-term.”
The legislation was passed by the Senate just weeks after Graham, 71, died unexpectedly due to a torn aorta. Graham was a vocal foreign policy hawk and a close ally of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.