Senators reveal revised Russia sanctions bill, urge passing in honor of Lindsey Graham

WASHINGTON (TNND) — U.S. Senators gathered on Capitol Hill on Tuesday in an effort ot advance legislation sanctioning Russia, a bill that the late Sen. Lindsey Graham was pushing up until the hour of his death.

Lawmakers in support of Ukraine have worked for over a year to pass legislation to impose tariffs on goods from countries that continue to purchase Russian oil, gas and other exports.

In a revised measure revealed on Tuesday, lawmakers set a goal of depriving Russia of money used to fund the war in Ukraine.

Critics of the original bill argued it was too broad and could hurt the economies of America’s biggest allies. The White House, on the other hand, wanted to ensure President Trump had the ability to waive sanctions in “national interest.”

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., explained that the revised bill narrowly applies the tariffs to the world’s top five purchasers of Russian oil or natural gas, with China and India topping the list.

I’m going to channel my inner Lindsey Graham and say, ‘This is a big effing deal,'” Bluemnthal told reporters on Tuesday.

It also reduces the tariffs from a blanket 500% to up to 100%, providing exceptions for countries that import less than 15% of their natural gas from Russia.

Graham had been working on the legislation and on Friday, the day before his death, announced that “significant progress” had been made. Graham passed on late Saturday after returning from his trip to Ukraine before the revised bill was released.

Bluemnthal shared a similar sentiment with Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, in support of naming the bill after Graham, describing it as part of his legacy.

On Monday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called on Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., to bring the bill to the floor immediately, noting it would pass overwhelmingly in memory of Graham and in support of Ukraine.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.