ICYMI: Ranking Member Shaheen Speaks on Senate Floor in Support of the Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, spoke on the Senate floor to urge Senate passage of the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026. The Shaheen-championed bill would impose mandatory sanctions against Russian political leadership, Russian financial institutions and the Russian shadow fleet to curb the Kremlin’s revenues funding the war in Ukraine.

Ranking Member Shaheen underscored the urgency of ramping up pressure on Russia as the momentum on the battlefield shifts in Ukraine’s favor, highlighting how the narrowly targeted tool included in the legislation cuts off the revenue that is financing Putin’s war.

You can watch her remarks HERE.

Key Quotes:

“The authority in this bill to impose tariffs is very narrowly scoped. And it contains clear guardrails. It explicitly says that the only countries that can be subject to tariffs are the top five purchasers of oil or gas and the top five sanctions evaders for Russian oil. So, if we’re going to be successful on putting pressure on to get Vladimir Putin to the table, we have got to shut down the money that he is getting from oil and gas, and that is what this bill would do.”
“These tariffs have one purpose—to make it more costly for countries to keep buying the Russian energy that funds Putin's war. This amendment does not restore Congress' constitutional authority over trade, which, listening to the authors, you might question. And if this amendment is adopted, President Trump's existing tariff authorities remain exactly where they are today. The only thing that would change would be our ability to put pressure on countries that are still buying Russian energy.”
“Russia is watching what we do. We have the history of this war to show that every time the United States backs away from putting pressure on Russia—from helping Ukraine, from funding the war—Russia ramps up its attacks on Ukraine. It kills more civilians. And that is where we are. If we can’t shut down the funding for the war machine that Russia is using against Ukraine, then they are going to keep at it.”

The Ranking Member’s remarks, as delivered, are below:
I am so pleased to come to the floor this morning to join Senator Blumethal as one of the sponsors of this legislation, to remember Senator Lidnsey Graham, to thank everyone who has worked so hard on this legislation. The Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, and I so appreciate Darline Graham’s being here and her support for this.

So, I’m here to support the underlying bill, but I also am here to oppose to Paul Wyden’s amendment. Now, I understand the concern of some of my colleagues on tariffs. I share those. I co-led an amicus brief challenging Trump’s illegal use of IEEPA to impose tariffs and appreciated Senator Wyden’s partnership on that—that argument prevailed at the Supreme Court. I also oppose any abuse of the tariff authorities that are that are currently on the books.

But the authority in this bill to impose tariffs is very narrowly scoped. And it contains clear guardrails. It explicitly says that the only countries that can be subject to tariffs are the top five purchasers of oil or gas and the top five sanctions evaders for Russian oil. So, if we’re going to be successful on putting pressure on to get Vladimir Putin to the table, we have got to shut down the money that he is getting from oil and gas, and that is what this bill would do.

These tariffs have one purpose—to make it more costly for countries to keep buying the Russian energy that funds Putin's war. This amendment does not restore Congress' constitutional authority over trade, which, listening to the authors, you might question. And if this amendment is adopted, President Trump's existing tariff authorities remain exactly where they are today. The only thing that would change would be our ability to put pressure on countries that are still buying Russian energy. So, I oppose this amendment, I urge my colleagues to opposite it as well.

And I think one of the critical issues here is the urgency of where we are in this war right now. The momentum is on Ukraine’s side. This is Russia’s worst summer of the war yet. But we know the situation can change quickly against Ukraine. China is supporting Russia’s efforts to gain battlefield advantage by helping the Russians develop their own version of Starlink. One of the things President Zelenskyy raised a concern about—the last time Senator Graham and I had a chance to meet with him in Ankara at the NATO Summit—according to President Zelenskyy, that technology that China is working on could be available as early as November. That would advance Russia’s drone technology to catch up with Ukraine. The battlefield could look significantly different in the next six to twelve months, and that could roll back Ukraine’s advantages.

Now is the time to put more pressure on Putin. This legislation, if it is advanced before the August recess, will be ahead of Russia’s upcoming elections. They hold their legislative elections in mid-September. After that, Putin is likely to be required to change conscription in response to the severe shortage of recruits, because they are losing 35,000 Russians a month. Advancing the legislation ahead of Russia’s upcoming elections will increase pressure on Putin to seriously re-visit prospects for a peace deal.

And make no mistake, Russia is watching what we do. We have the history of this war to show that every time the United States backs away from putting pressure on Russia—from helping Ukraine, from funding the war—Russia ramps up its attacks on Ukraine. It kills more civilians. And that is where we are. If we can’t shut down the funding for the war machine that Russia is using against Ukraine, then they are going to keep at it. We have to show the determination that the United States feels to support this emerging democracy that Senator Blumenthal was so eloquent to talk about.

So, that is why there is real urgency for what we’re doing today. Not just to pass this underlying Sanctions bill, but to make sure that the tariffs that are funding Russia’s war machine can shut down the oil and gas that is keeping that war machine going. So, I hope all of my colleagues will oppose this amendment and support the underlying bill.

Thank you, Mr. President. I yield the floor.

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