[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 123 (Tuesday, July 28, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4288-S4289]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                               Sanctions

  Mrs. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, I come to the floor today in support of 
the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act.
  I want to applaud Senator Schumer's comments about supporting this 
legislation to try and end the war in Ukraine. I applaud Senator Britt 
and Senator Wicker, and, of course, Senator Blumenthal who has worked 
for over a year to get to this point and thank Senator Darline Graham 
for her efforts to support this legislation.
  I had the privilege of traveling with Senator Graham earlier this 
month on what tragically turned out to be his final codel.
  We all know that he was a tireless advocate for Ukraine. He knew that 
Ukrainians stand on the frontlines of freedom. This legislation is 
designed to cut off Vladimir Putin's most important resource in his war 
against Ukraine: his money.
  And you can see from this poster, what this legislation does is 
impose mandatory sanctions that target Russia's war machine; it clamps 
down on Russia's shadow fleet; it strengthens financial and export 
restrictions; and it

[[Page S4289]]

enforces targeted duties on top purchasers of Russian oil and gas.
  This includes sanctions against the Russian central bank, which keeps 
Russia's war economy afloat; Sberbank, the country's largest lender; 
and Gazprombank, which has helped finance Russia's energy exports. It 
also sanctions Russia's energy sector and the executives who run it, 
the major state energy projects that generate billions for the Kremlin, 
and future arctic energy projects designed to keep that revenue 
flowing.
  For the first time, this bill would impose sanctions on the Russia 
shadow fleet and any foreign vessel that is used by the Russian 
Government for sanctions evasion. It would impose tariffs on imports 
from the top five countries buying Russia crude oil or natural gas, and 
it would impose tariffs on imports from those top five countries 
facilitating Russia's oil sanctions evasion.
  We know who topped that list in 2025; it was China. They topped both 
lists. They continue buying Russian oil, even as Russia kills civilians 
and kidnaps Ukrainian children.
  And as sponsors of this bill, we have worked hard to protect our 
allies, those who have worked hard to get off of Russia's natural gas 
purchases.
  Now, some have raised concerns about the tariff provisions in this 
bill. They say that President Trump has used tariffs indiscriminately 
to target our closest allies.
  Well, I agree. But in the case of this bill, Congress is explicitly 
directing these tariffs for one unambiguous purpose: to increase the 
pressure on Vladimir Putin and end his unprovoked war against Ukraine. 
That is why this bill is narrowly targeted at the worst actors 
supporting Russia.
  I saw the consequences of Putin's strategy firsthand earlier this 
year on a congressional visit to Odessa. It was winter. Ours was the 
first official congressional delegation to visit Odessa. The Russians 
had destroyed every bridge going into the city, except the one that our 
convoy crossed over that the engineers--Ukrainian engineers--had 
managed to patch together.
  And, sadly, it is not a new phenomenon because Russia deliberately 
targets civilian infrastructure to break the will of the Ukrainian 
people, and it attacks American businesses. It attacks the grain silos 
of ships that help feed the world.
  And you can see what they are doing. This is a rescue worker at a 
Philip Morris factory in Kharkiv. They have attacked Coca-Cola, 
Cargill, Mondelez. Others have been deliberately hit. And when we met 
with businesspeople who were working for those American companies in 
Ukraine, they said they believed they were being deliberately targeted 
by Russia.
  So for those people who are concerned about the tariffs, consider the 
cost of continuing to do nothing. Pressure is the only language 
Vladimir Putin understands. It is the only thing he responds to, and 
that is why it is critical that we pass the Lindsey O. Graham 
Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act today.
  The Ukrainians are making great progress. They are striking deep 
inside of Russia. They are targeting defense factories and oil 
facilities that enable Putin's war. And now is the time for us to do 
everything possible to put pressure on Putin. President Zelenskyy 
supports this bill. Everything that reduces Russia's revenues reduce 
the ability for Russia to continue the war against Ukraine.
  As ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, I 
believe this is the only bill that Congress has before it that has a 
realistic path forward for imposing new sanctions on Russia. This is 
our best opportunity to support Ukraine, who are defending not just 
their country, but the rest of Europe from an increasingly aggressive 
Russia.
  And so I call on all my colleagues to vote for this bill to send 
Vladimir Putin a bipartisan message in a language that he understands. 
Let's pass the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act.
  I yield the floor.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Mississippi.