U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Montgomery) joined President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Friday for the signing of the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, the sanctions package she helped drive through Congress after the death of the senator who wrote it.
Britt was joined at the signing by U.S. Senator Darline Graham (R-S.C.), who was appointed to complete her late brother’s term, and U.S. Representative Michael McCaul (R-Texas).
The White House announced the signing of H.R. 5334, which expands sanctions, tariffs and prohibitions on Russia and extends existing sanctions on Iran.
“By signing this bill today, President Trump sent a clear message to Russia, and any countries that help fund its war machine, that the United States stands unified in our opposition to their acts of aggression against Ukraine,” Britt said. “I appreciate my Senate and House colleagues and the work that the White House has done to bring this historic legislation across the finish line.”
“I know that my dear friend Lindsey Graham is celebrating this moment alongside us. We would not be here today if it weren’t for his tireless work, and it’s a true honor to have helped champion such an important part of his legacy.”
The U.S. House approved the measure Wednesday by a 262-159 vote. The Senate passed it 86-11 on Aug. 7.
Every Alabama Republican in the House voted for the bill, as did U.S. Representative Shomari Figures (D-Mobile), one of more than 50 Democrats to break with party leadership. U.S. Representative Terri Sewell (D-Birmingham) was the only member of Alabama’s congressional delegation to vote against it.
“To be clear, I have been a steadfast supporter of Ukraine, but I have no faith that Donald Trump will use these new authorities to punish Russia when he has failed to use the sanctions power he currently has to hold Putin accountable,” Sewell said. “Moreover, this bill gives Trump sweeping new tariff powers to expand his reckless trade wars with our allies and raise prices for hard-working American families.”
Britt became one of the legislation’s leading Senate advocates following Graham’s death in July.
As previously reported, she joined a bipartisan group of 62 senators supporting the measure and later helped push it through the Senate by an overwhelming margin. Graham spent more than a year developing the sanctions package and reached an agreement with the White House on updated language shortly before his death.
The law imposes primary and secondary sanctions on Russian officials, oligarchs, their family members, financial institutions and foreign actors supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine. It also targets Russia’s shadow fleet used to transport oil and evade existing sanctions.
It directs the president to impose tariffs of up to 100% on the five largest importers of Russian crude oil or gas, or on countries among the top five facilitators of Russian oil sanctions evasion. Countries whose Russian natural gas imports account for less than 15% of Russia’s total gas exports are exempt if they are taking significant steps to reduce those purchases.
The measure also extends the Iran Sanctions Act by five years, preventing a lapse in sanctions authority targeting Iran’s energy and weapons sectors.
Speaking alongside a bipartisan, bicameral group of lawmakers after the House vote, Britt said the legislation hands Trump leverage he did not have before.
“There is nothing more rewarding here in Congress than actually delivering results, than actually doing something that will matter,” Britt said. She said the bill gives Trump the tools “to end this senseless war, to hold Putin accountable for his aggression, to drive him to the table, and to actually make sure that there are consequences.”
“As Senator Lindsey Graham said, this is now the most consequential piece of legislation that he ever worked on,” Britt said. “In his final days here with us, this is what he was committed to.”
Decisions on when to impose the tariffs and sanctions now rest with the Trump administration.
Sawyer Knowles is a state and political reporter for Yellowhammer News. You may contact him at [email protected].
