{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/blumenthal-celebrates-final-passage-of-landmark-sanctions-bill-to-hold-purchasers-of-russian-oil-and-gas-accountable", "Blumenthal Celebrates Final Passage of Landmark Sanctions Bill to Hold Purchasers of Russian Oil & Gas Accountable", "2026-09-16", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "Senate", "CT", "Richard Blumenthal", "B001277", "www.blumenthal.senate.gov", "blumenthal", "https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press", "scraper", "[WASHINGTON, DC] \u2013 Today, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) celebrated final Congressional passage of the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026. The legislation, led by Blumenthal and U.S. Senator Darline Graham (R-SC), would hold major purchasers of Russian oil and gas accountable for supporting Russia\u2019s war in Ukraine. The bill was approved in a major bipartisan vote in the Senate in August and was passed out of the House of Representatives today.\n\n\u201cToday is a historic triumph for democracy\u2014 ours and Ukraine\u2019s\u2014 showing that America can still muster bipartisan unity in the fight for freedom. I am overwhelmed with gratitude,\u201d Blumenthal said. \u201cIn August, I watched from Kyiv\u2019s Sophia Square as President Zelenskyy honored the families of heroes who gave their lives so that Ukraine could remain free and independent. I vowed then, as I have every day for the last few years, that our tribute to the fallen defenders of Ukraine would be the passage of this legislation to help bring an end to Putin\u2019s hideous slaughter and prevent future bloodshed.\u201d\n\n\u201cToday\u2019s triumph is also a testament to the relentless drive of my friend, Lindsey Graham. I missed him deeply on my most recent eleventh trip to Ukraine. If he were here today, he would be jubilant about our bill\u2019s passage \u2013 and already thinking about the next one. So today we celebrate, and tomorrow, we redouble work on sending Ukraine whatever it needs to prevail. Putin is a thug who understands only force and strength, which is what we must show clearly and unequivocally.\u201d\n\nLast month, Blumenthal traveled to Ukraine to celebrate Independence Day in Kyiv. Blumenthal also traveled to Dnipro, near the eastern front of the war \u2013 the first Congressional Delegation to visit since the invasion.\n\nIn early August, Blumenthal and U.S. Senators Katie Britt (R-AL), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Roger Wicker (R-MS), and Jim Risch (R-ID) hosted a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and supporters of the legislation at the U.S. Capitol. Photos of the meeting are available here.\n\nBlumenthal and U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) first introduced legislation to bring primary and secondary sanctions against Russia and actors supporting Russia\u2019s aggression in Ukraine in April 2025, and spent the last year and a half building support for the effort in Congress and the Administration. Lindsey Graham secured an agreement with the White House on the bill just before his death.\n\nThe Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 would impose primary and secondary sanctions against Russia and actors supporting Russia\u2019s war in Ukraine. The sanctions target Russian officials, oligarchs, their family members, foreign persons, and Russian banks and financial institutions, as well as the Russian Shadow Fleet.\n\nThe legislation allows the President to impose targeted tariffs on imported goods from countries that buy the vast majority of Russian oil or gas, and enable Russian sanctions evasion. The bill limits these tariffs to the five largest importers of Russian crude oil or gas, and the top five countries that aid Russia\u2019s energy sanctions evasion.\n\nThe bill also includes a provision to prevent a lapse in sanctions authority that restricts funding for Iran\u2019s energy and weapons sectors.\n\nThe text of the bill is available here.\n\n-30-", 1, "2026-09-17T09:52:05Z", "2026-09-17T09:53:00Z"]], "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://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/blumenthal-celebrates-final-passage-of-landmark-sanctions-bill-to-hold-purchasers-of-russian-oil-and-gas-accountable"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.8557468429207802, "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"}