Bipartisan House members introduce Graham’s Russia sanctions bill

House Bipartisan House members introduce Graham’s Russia sanctions bill Comments: by Laura Kelly - 08/10/26 4:48 PM ET Comments: Link copied by Laura Kelly - 08/10/26 4:48 PM ET Comments: Link copied

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A bipartisan group of House lawmakers introduced on Monday companion legislation to the Russia sanctions bill that passed the Senate earlier this month, a symbolic move but one that signals critical support.

Reps. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) and Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) introduced the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 alongside 16 of their colleagues, named for the South Carolina Republican who died unexpectedly last month.

The legislation text is identical to the Senate version, which passed with an overwhelming majority, 86-11.

And while the House will have to vote on the Senate-approved version, the text serves as somewhat of a whip count before the vote, allowing members to sign on as co-sponsors and signal their support before a vote takes place sometime this fall.

There is an expectation that the House will pass the bill “under suspension,” prohibiting amendments to the text and requiring a two-thirds majority for passage. However, President Trump said last month he wants the bill amended to give him tariff authorities on Iran, raising the question whether the House will allow changes to the text.

McCaul said in a statement that he promised Graham months ago he would introduce the Russia sanctions bill in the House.

“Senator Graham was a national security giant, a statesman of unmatched conviction and a personal friend and mentor. We shared a fundamental worldview: America is strongest at home when it projects strength abroad,” McCaul said.

Hoyer called for securing bipartisan consensus in the House to pass the bill and send it to the president’s desk for his signature.

“This action has been delayed too long and will, hopefully, accelerate Ukraine’s success and the ending of this war, one that was initiated illegally by [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and that has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths of Russians and Ukrainians,” he said in a statement.

The original co-sponsors joining McCaul and Hoyer include Congressional Ukraine Caucus co-Chair Joe Wilson (R-S.C.); Congressional Ukraine Caucus co-founder and co-Chair Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio); House Baltic Caucus co-Chair Don Bacon (R-Neb.); House Armed Services Committee Chair Mike Rogers (R-Ala.); Congressional Ukraine Caucus co-Chair Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.); and Reps. Jill Tokuda (D-Hawaii), Mike Turner (R-Ohio), Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.), Ann Wagner (R-Mo.), Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.), Andy Barr (R-Ky.), Ed Case (D-Hawaii), Eugene Vindman (D-Va.), Nathaniel Moran (R-Texas), and Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.).

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