A bipartisan Russia sanctions bill named after the late Sen. Lindsey Graham faces an uncertain path forward in Congress, with the Senate potentially moving toward a vote next week but the House not returning from recess until Aug. 31.
The bill, formally called the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctions Act on Russia, was announced two weeks ago after a group of bipartisan senators traveled to Ukraine. At that point, the White House had signed on to the latest version of the legislation, which aims to impose punishing sanctions on Russia to help Ukraine win the war.
Two days after the bill was released, one of its chief sponsors and architects, Sen. Lindsey Graham, unexpectedly died. The bill was subsequently named in his honor.
Senators from both parties say passing the legislation is urgent.
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"If we're gonna bring the war of Russian aggression against Ukraine to a just and durable end, we need to do so in the next few weeks and months when they clearly have the upper hand on the battlefield," Sen. Chris Coons said.
Sen. John Kennedy expressed frustration over the pace of action.
"We have the votes. We should be voting on that now. We should have voted on it this week. I don't even know if we'll vote on it next week," Kennedy said.
Even if the Senate votes next week, the bill cannot reach President Donald Trump's desk until September at the earliest. House staff have already left for recess and do not return until Aug. 31. August recess is traditionally treated as a near-sacred institution on Capitol Hill, making it unlikely either chamber would be called back to conduct business.
The legislation faces additional complications beyond the calendar. President Trump is now pushing to include Iran in the sanctions bill. Democratic senators have signaled they may be open to adding Iran sanctions to the Russia bill, but the move adds significant complexity to the math lawmakers must work through as they seek to bring the war between Russia and Ukraine to an end.
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