Sen. Lindsey Graham’s Russia sanctions bill could still become law, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said, calling its passage both a strengthening of U.S. policy toward Ukraine and a lasting tribute to the late South Carolina Republican’s national security work.
Graham died Saturday at age 71. His office said the preliminary cause was an acute aortic dissection caused by arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease. On Monday, Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Graham’s younger sister, Darline Graham Nordone, to fill the seat temporarily until voters choose a successor in November.
In the months before his death, Graham made tougher economic sanctions on Russia one of his top priorities in response to Moscow’s war against Ukraine. The day before he died, he met in Kyiv with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to reaffirm support for continued U.S. assistance and greater pressure on Russia. Zelenskyy later said he was “deeply saddened” and called Graham one of Ukraine’s strongest allies in Washington.
Speaking on CNN, Thune told Dana Bash the sanctions proposal remains a priority for Senate leadership. Asked if the bill would still receive a vote, he replied that he was hopeful. “I certainly hope that we can get there to do that,” Thune said. He noted the White House had worked closely with Graham on the legislation and that Democrats had expressed support, adding the measure could ultimately receive 80 to 90 votes if agreement is reached on final language.
“Lindsey had been working that issue for a long time,” Thune said. “It’s one of those things he was very passionate about. He wants to see a free and independent Ukraine, as all of us do.” Thune described economic sanctions as one of the most significant foreign policy tools available to the United States and said Graham viewed them as critical to American strategic objectives.
According to Thune, the sanctions package had become Graham’s foremost legislative priority in his final days. “This sanctions bill was probably, in his last days, the thing that he cared the most about, in terms of an accomplishment,” he said. “So I’m hopeful we can get that done.”
The measure currently has 60 co-sponsors and is expected to come up for a vote next week. It would impose tougher economic sanctions on Russia and expand the president’s authority to target Russian financial institutions, energy exports, and other sectors of the economy. Lawmakers from both parties have cited Graham’s decades-long commitment to national security as they rallied behind the bill.
“It would certainly be an incredible legacy for him if, in fact, we could find a path forward,” Thune said. “It’ll take Democrats and Republicans here in the Senate to do that. But I’m hopeful we can make that happen.”
