{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://mccaul.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/mccaul-speaks-after-house-passes-lindsey-o-graham-sanctioning-russia", "McCaul Speaks After House Passes Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026", "2026-09-17", "2026", "2026-09", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Michael T. McCaul", "M001157", "mccaul.house.gov", "mccaul", "https://mccaul.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Today, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Emeritus Michael McCaul (R-Texas) held a bipartisan, bicameral press conference after the House passed the the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 by a vote of 262 to 159.\n\nThis legislation \u2014 which honors the late Senator Lindsey Graham, who worked on the bill for more than a year and secured the White House\u2019s support \u2014 will hold major purchasers of Russian oil and gas accountable for supporting Russia\u2019s war against Ukraine and extend sanctions that restrict funding for Iran\u2019s energy and weapons sectors. McCaul introduced and championed the legislation in the House alongside Congressman Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and a bipartisan group of their colleagues.\n\nImage\n\nClick to watch\n\nRemarks as delivered:\n\nWhat a great day for Ukraine. What a great day for freedom and democracy. I know Lindsey Graham, my friend and mentor, is shining down upon us and you, [Senator Darline Graham].\n\nI can't tell you how much this means to me. You know, I was in Ukraine at the same time [as Lindsey], and he said this is a \"magic moment\" \u2014 a rare opportunity to help end the war in Europe and secure peace through strength.\n\nHe said this bill would be his greatest legislative achievement in his entire career. And I wish he was here with us today, but I am proud to announce that the bill passed by a vote of 262 to 159.\n\nAnd I want to thank my good friend Steny Hoyer, the lead Democrat on the bill, for his good work and excellent performance on the floor.\n\nThis bill will cripple Russia's war machine and finally bring Putin to the negotiating table. It will ensure America's adversaries \u2014 not only Russia, but also China and Iran \u2014 suffer for their coordinated campaign of aggression.\n\nLindsey understood these threats. He had the guts to stand up and confront them, no matter what the political cost was and where the winds were blowing. He understood that this is a moral issue that requires moral courage.\n\nDuring his last press conference, he said, \"I have never been more optimistic than I am today that we have the formula to end this war.\" I couldn't agree more.\n\nToday, 262 members of the House voted not just for Ukraine, but for freedom and democracy. And today, we are now one step closer to securing Lindsey's vision of enduring peace in Ukraine and beyond.\n\nI want to thank all the members who supported this. I want to thank Darline for being here. I know your brother is shining down from heaven. It was no coincidence in his final speech at St. Michael's Square in Ukraine that the bells started ringing in the church ... as he kept his optimistic, upbeat character, [and a] great sense of humor as well.\n\nI will miss him dearly, but I know he is proud, shining down today.\n\nThank you.", 1, "2026-09-18T09:27:43Z", "2026-09-18T09:29:09Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://mccaul.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/mccaul-speaks-after-house-passes-lindsey-o-graham-sanctioning-russia"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.1933869682252407, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}