The Vandenberg Coalition endorses the bipartisan Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act and calls on Congress to swiftly act to pass this legislation into law. The late Senator Graham worked tirelessly to protect U.S. national security by weakening our adversaries. Passing his bill would honor Senator Graham’s legacy of keeping America safe by crippling Vladimir Putin’s war machine.

The Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act would impose strong costs on Vladimir Putin and his cronies by imposing primary and secondary sanctions on Russia’s political leadership, financial institutions, energy sector, and sanctions evasion network. The bill, supported by the Trump administration, would also cut off Russia’s cash flow by directing President Trump to impose a 100 percent tariff on countries that import the majority of Russian oil, gas, and enable Russian sanctions evasion. Not only does this reflect the will of the administration, but our polling also shows that 75 percent of Trump voters support putting sanctions on Russia to force Putin to take peace negotiations seriously. 

Senator Graham recognized the threat Russia poses to American interests and principles and that Putin is refusing to end his horrific war of aggression against Ukraine. Passing this legislation provides critical leverage needed to bring Vladimir Putin’s bloody conquest to an end and ensure the safety of the United States and our partners.