Shaheen Urges Congress to Pass Graham's Russia Sanctions Bill
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- Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) urged members of Congress on Sunday to pass a Russia sanctions bill in honor of Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and his legacy as an advocate for Ukraine in its war against the Kremlin.
- Sen. Lindsey Graham died Saturday evening due to a "brief and sudden illness" as described by his office.
- Graham was identified as an advocate for Ukraine amid its war against the Kremlin, with the sanctions bill tied to that advocacy.
- A GOP senator told The Hill that Graham "really felt he was making great strides" on the Russia sanctions bill before his death, suggesting the legislation had momentum Graham was driving personally.
- Shaheen's cross-party appeal frames the bill as honoring Graham's legacy, a notable Democratic gesture toward a Republican colleague's foreign policy priority.
Why it matters: A Russia sanctions bill championed by Graham had momentum before his sudden death, and a Democratic senator's public appeal to pass it in his honor signals bipartisan pressure to move forward on punishing Moscow. The bill's fate now depends on whether congressional leadership picks up a measure that lost its most vocal Republican champion.
