The successful procedural vote clears the path for senators to debate the bill and submit written amendments. Following the debate, lawmakers will hold a final vote on the package before sending the legislation to the House of Representatives, after which it will be signed into law by U.S. President Donald Trump.
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators previously reached an agreement on a bill that would grant President Donald Trump the authority to tighten restrictions on major buyers of Russian and Iranian oil and gas.
Trump has already signaled his support for the legislation, which was championed for years by the late Senator Lindsey Graham.
The Graham-Blumenthal Russia sanctions bill
A bill proposing new sanctions against Russia was introduced in the U.S. Senate in early April 2025. The document proposed a 500% tariff on imports from countries that continue buying Russian oil and other raw materials. Graham, who co-authored the bill with Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal, later said the Senate planned to soon pass the bill.
The Wall Street Journal reported in June, 2025 that the Trump administration was trying to pressure Graham to significantly soften the bill, which at the time received the backing of more than 80 senators. Trump was concerned that the measure could undermine his goal of “reviving relations between the United States and Russia”, the outlet reported.
Politico also reported that the bill on new U.S. sanctions against Russia was likely to be significantly softened before adoption.
Senator Graham announced at his final press conference in Kyiv on July 10, 2026 that a breakthrough agreement had been finalized with the White House on a revised version of the sanctions package. Graham explained that the compromise grants President Trump the executive authority to selectively apply tariffs and sanctions against countries buying Russian oil and gas, thereby cutting off the financial flows directly sustaining the regime of dictator Vladimir Putin.
However, on the evening of July 11, the political landscape was shattered when Senator Graham passed away in Washington following a sudden medical emergency. Medical examiners and official statements from his representatives confirmed the cause of death as an aortic dissection on the background of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
A White House official told CNN on July 13 that President Trump intends to honor Graham's legacy by supporting the passage of the bipartisan Russia sanctions package. Trump told reporters at the White House on July 14 that he believed sanctions against Iran and Hezbollah should be added to the legislative package. However, co-sponsor Senator Richard Blumenthal cautioned against delaying the process, stating: "We must move forward with this bill, rather than opening it up, in my view, to other potential targets.”
The bill cleared a key Senate vote on July 17, with a last-minute amendment added limiting the new tariff authority to a five-year period.
The White House had previously attempted to sanction Russian oil sales but ultimately granted several temporary waivers. This move came after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz during as the war with Iran broke out causing a global contraction in the oil market. Those waivers expired last month. In a separate push last year, Trump imposed a 25 percent tariff on Indian goods over New Delhi's continued purchases of Russian energy, though he later lifted the penalties in favor of a broader U.S.-India trade agreement.
Meanwhile, China – one of the largest buyers of Russian crude – avoided similar sanctions altogether as Trump sought to prevent an escalation of trade tensions with Beijing.