U.S. Senator Katie Britt Votes to Pass Russia and Iran Sanctions Legislation, Applauds Senate, White House Leadership, Calls for Expeditious House Passage

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Ala.) today voted to pass the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 to hold major purchasers of Russian oil and gas accountable for supporting Russia's war against Ukraine and extend the Iran Sanctions Act. The bill overwhelmingly passed the Senate by a vote of 86-11 and now heads to the U.S. House of Representatives.

"Today is a day Lindsey Graham would be deeply proud to see. While he is not with us physically, his presence could certainly be felt in the Senate chamber as we overwhelmingly passed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act," said Senator Britt. "Thanks to his leadership over several months in shoring up Congressional and White House support, this bill to impose crushing sanctions to hamstring Russia's war machine and hold accountable those fueling it now heads to the U.S. House of Representatives. I strongly urge my House colleagues to vote to send this peace through strength legislation straight to President Trump's desk. Russia is the weakest it has been since the start of the war, and now is the time to land this crippling blow by giving the President the tools and economic firepower he needs. Importantly, this bill will also extend the Iran Sanctions Act and hold the murderous regime in Tehran accountable for fueling 47 years of terrorism around the globe."

Senator Britt has proudly championed this legislation in honor of Senator Lindsey Graham along with Senators Darline Graham (R-S.C.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Jim Risch (R-Idaho), and Chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee Roger Wicker (R-Miss.). The bill is also supported by the White House, which issued a Statement of Administration Policy last month stating that if the bill were presented to the President, his advisors would recommend he sign it into law.

Ahead of Senate passage, Senator Britt highlighted the urgency of passing this legislation on the Senate floor, stating, "The Senate has a spine. That's exactly what we're doing here today, is standing with a steel spine. We are standing against Putin's aggression. You saw this week him actually attack innocent Ukrainians … Today we stand together to say we are going to cut off the flow of money to Putin. Senator Lindsey Graham said that this …. was actually the heart of this bill. That this was the way to hit Putin where it hurt most … Today we send a message to Vladimir Putin, and we give President Trump the tools he needs to end this war."

Following overwhelming Senate passage, Senator Britt joined a bipartisan group of her colleagues in a press conference where she delivered remarks:

"What an incredible day. Being able to stand on the United States Senate floor and watch the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act pass in an overwhelmingly bipartisan fashion was incredible. And while Senator Lindsey Graham wasn't physically present on the floor, you could feel him on there as votes kept coming in and in and in. As we stood unified as a Senate (and) United States of America telling Putin, 'we will accept this no more' … Too many people have died. Too much blood has been shed. Now is the time to give the President the tools he needs to drive Putin to the table.

"I've been reflecting on a conversation that Senator Graham and I had … after we left Normandy for the 80th anniversary of D-Day, he was reflecting on how Churchill said that World War II was an unnecessary war and that when people in power don't do what they should, innocent people lose their life. Senator Graham said, we failed to do what we needed to then and as a result, 50 million people died. He said people miscalculated Hitler, and we're doing the same thing to Putin right now. And he said the cost of that miscalculation would be enormous. Today, we stood up tall for Senator Lindsey Graham, for freedom, for what the United States stands for, for the people of Ukraine and peace and prosperity across the globe … (A) special thanks to Senator Darline Graham, who has had an unthinkable several weeks, has picked up this mantle with grace and dignity and grit, was laser focused on achieving this goal not only for her brother, but she knew this was what was best for the United States of America and she knew it's what was best for peace across the globe. And so, watching her call this overwhelming vote today was an incredible moment, and I look forward to working diligently with our House colleagues, to getting this into law so that we can bring a resolution."

The Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 would impose primary and secondary sanctions against Russia and actors supporting Russia's war in Ukraine. The sanctions target Russian officials, oligarchs, their family members, foreign persons, and Russian banks and financial institutions, as well as the Russian Shadow Fleet.

The legislation also directs the President to impose up to 100 percent tariffs on the five largest importers of Russian crude oil or gas or are among the top five facilitators of Russian oil sanctions evasion. The bill exempts countries whose Russian natural gas imports account for less than 15 percent of Russia's total natural gas exports and that are taking significant steps to reduce those imports.

Additionally, the legislation extends the Iran Sanctions Act by five years to prevent a lapse in sanction authority that restricts funding for Iran's energy and weapons sectors.

"I remain sincerely grateful to Senators Darline Graham, Blumenthal, Shaheen, Risch, and Wicker for their continued leadership on this issue and for the incredible support of President Trump and the White House. Let's get this done. The United States and the world need Putin's war of aggression to end," Senator Britt concluded.

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