Capitol Hill just delivered one of the biggest foreign policy gut punches of the year, and it landed squarely on Vladimir Putin's doorstep.
The Senate crushed through a massive bipartisan sanctions package targeting Russia with an overwhelming 86-11 vote on Friday, as Conservative Brief reported. The legislation also takes aim at the five biggest purchasers of Russian oil and gas while extending existing penalties on Iran. But here's what gave the whole thing an emotional punch that had senators choking up on the floor: it was named after the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, who championed this very bill before his sudden and shocking death earlier this month following a trip to Ukraine.
Talk about a political legacy moment. Graham's colleagues turned his final legislative crusade into reality just weeks after losing him. The emotion was thick in the chamber, and supporters called the vote both a warning shot at American adversaries and a deeply personal farewell to their longtime colleague.
But don't think this sailed through without fireworks. Behind closed doors, lawmakers spent days wrestling over amendments that threatened to blow up the whole thing. The juiciest fight? Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky went toe to toe with the rest of the chamber over a provision allowing the executive branch to slap tariffs of up to 100 percent on nations still buying Russian energy. Paul argued that Congress had no business expanding presidential tariff powers and introduced an amendment to gut that language entirely. He got steamrolled, losing 32-64.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, the lead Democratic co-sponsor, couldn't contain himself on the floor. He recounted one of his final exchanges with Graham, quoting the late senator's colorful assessment: "This is a big f'ing deal. We all did good." Blumenthal then pivoted and delivered a pointed warning directly at Putin, declaring that Russia's economy would be "throttled, even decimated" by choking off its oil and gas revenue.
The bill gained serious steam after multiple senators sat down with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at Graham's funeral last month. Zelensky reportedly pressed Congress hard for continued military support combined with tougher economic pressure on Moscow.
Not everyone was celebrating without reservations, though. Sen. Chris Coons noted that the real question isn't about the legislation itself but whether President Trump will actually wield it against Russia. Meanwhile, Sen. Raphael Warnock initially balked at handing Trump expanded tariff authority, pointing out concerns about how the president uses existing powers. He eventually pulled back his amendment after receiving written assurances from U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer about guardrails on that authority.
The Iran sanctions extension was reportedly tucked in at Trump's own request to prevent longstanding penalties from quietly expiring later this year.
So the ball is now firmly in Trump's court. Will he sign it and squeeze Moscow, or let it collect dust? Stay tuned, because this story is far from finished.
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