A bipartisan group of senators unveiled an updated version of its Russia sanctions bill this week, urging its swift passage to honor the proposal’s lead sponsor, former Sen. Lindsey Graham, who died unexpectedly this weekend.
The updated bill comes after more than a year of negotiations spearheaded by Graham to get the White House on board. Graham announced the deal during a trip to Kyiv on Friday, just two days before his death was reported.
President Donald Trump gave his stamp of approval on Tuesday — and now, senators are pushing to ensure that Graham’s work doesn’t go to waste.
“It took months of bipartisan negotiations, very difficult, sometimes heated,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a key supporter of the bill, told reporters. “But we are very, very gratified that President Trump is now supporting it.”
If passed, the bill would impose mandatory sanctions on Russian leaders in the country’s government and military, including President Vladimir Putin. It would also apply those penalties to state-owned enterprises or foreign companies supporting the Russian defense industry.
The bill would enforce up to 100% tariffs on the top five countries that purchase crude oil and natural gas from Russia, including against China and India. That’s a limit on the original bill that could have imposed tariffs on more than 60 countries for purchasing oil or gas from Russia.
The tariff rate will be set by the U.S. trade representative, according to Blumenthal, D-Conn., at a “level appropriate to discourage China, India, and others from major purchases of Russian oil and gas.”
It’s not yet clear when the Senate will schedule a vote. But the bill has already garnered bipartisan support, including from top Republicans and Democrats.
“I urge Sen. (John) Thune, in honor of Lindsey, to put the Russia sanctions bill on the floor immediately,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a floor speech on Monday. “It will pass overwhelmingly and help our allies in Ukraine.”
Thune, R-S.D., has said he is hopeful to get it done, telling reporters this week “it would be a great tribute and legacy for Lindsey.”
Trump said on Tuesday that the bill has a “good chance” of passing, suggesting it may still be expanded to include penalties for Iran. However, some lawmakers may be hesitant to expand the bill and want to move the legislation as quickly as possible.