Jeanne Shaheen

Mr. President, Procedure · 18 wordsI come to the floor today in support of the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act.Procedure Thanks · 55 wordsI want to applaud Senator Schumer’s comments about supporting this legislation to try and end the war in Ukraine.¹ I applaud Senator Britt and Senator Wicker, and, of course, Senator Blumenthal who has worked for over a year to get to this point and thank Senator Darline Graham for her efforts to support this legislation.Thanks Anecdote · 22 wordsI had the privilege of traveling with Senator Graham earlier this month on what tragically turned out to be his final codel.²Anecdote Positioning · 11 wordsWe all know that he was a tireless advocate for Ukraine.PositioningUnearned certainty Claims · 256 wordsHe knew that Ukrainians stand on the frontlines of freedom. This legislation is designed to cut off Vladimir Putin’s most important resource in his war against Ukraine: his money. And you can see from this poster, what this legislation does is impose mandatory sanctions that target Russia’s war machine; ³it clamps down on Russia’s shadow fleet; it strengthens financial and export restrictions; and it enforces targeted duties on top purchasers of Russian oil and gas. This includes sanctions against the Russian central bank, ⁴which keeps Russia’s war economy afloat; Sberbank, the country’s largest lender; ⁵and Gazprombank, ⁶which has helped finance Russia’s energy exports. It also sanctions Russia’s energy sector and the executives who run it, the major state energy projects that generate billions for the Kremlin, and future arctic energy projects designed to keep that revenue flowing. For the first time, this bill would impose sanctions on the Russia shadow fleet and any foreign vessel that is used by the Russian Government for sanctions evasion.⁷ It would impose tariffs on imports from the top five countries buying Russia crude oil or natural gas, ⁸and it would impose tariffs on imports from those top five countries facilitating Russia’s oil sanctions evasion. We know who topped that list in 2025; ⁹it was China. They topped both lists. They continue buying Russian oil, even as Russia kills civilians and kidnaps Ukrainian children. And as sponsors of this bill, we have worked hard to protect our allies, those who have worked hard to get off of Russia’s natural gas purchases. Procedure · 12 wordsNow, some have raised concerns about the tariff provisions in this bill.Procedure Claims · 14 wordsThey say that President Trump has used tariffs indiscriminately to target our closest allies. Positioning · 3 wordsWell, I agree.Positioning Claims · 45 wordsBut in the case of this bill, Congress is explicitly directing these tariffs for one unambiguous purpose: to increase the pressure on Vladimir Putin and end his unprovoked war against Ukraine. That is why this bill is narrowly targeted at the worst actors supporting Russia. Anecdote · 56 wordsI saw the consequences of Putin’s strategy firsthand earlier this year on a congressional visit to Odessa. It was winter. Ours was the first official congressional delegation to visit Odessa.¹⁰ The Russians had destroyed every bridge going into the city, except the one that our convoy crossed over that the engineers--Ukrainian engineers--had managed to patch together.¹¹Anecdote Claims · 96 wordsAnd, sadly, it is not a new phenomenon because Russia deliberately targets civilian infrastructure to break the will of the Ukrainian people, and it attacks American businesses. It attacks the grain silos of ships that help feed the world. And you can see what they are doing. This is a rescue worker at a Philip Morris factory in Kharkiv.¹² They have attacked Coca-Cola, Cargill, Mondelez.¹³ Others have been deliberately hit. And when we met with businesspeople who were working for those American companies in Ukraine, they said they believed they were being deliberately targeted by Russia. Reasoning · 18 wordsSo for those people who are concerned about the tariffs, consider the cost of continuing to do nothing. Positioning · 16 wordsPressure is the only language Vladimir Putin understands. It is the only thing he responds to, PositioningThe ask · 20 wordsand that is why it is critical that we pass the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act today. Claims · 25 wordsThe Ukrainians are making great progress. They are striking deep inside of Russia. They are targeting defense factories and oil facilities that enable Putin’s war.¹⁴ The ask · 16 wordsAnd now is the time for us to do everything possible to put pressure on Putin.Vague promise Claims · 5 wordsPresident Zelenskyy supports this bill.¹⁵ Reasoning · 16 wordsEverything that reduces Russia’s revenues reduce the ability for Russia to continue the war against Ukraine. Claims · 58 wordsAs ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, I believe this is the only bill that Congress has before it that has a realistic path forward for imposing new sanctions on Russia.¹⁶ This is our best opportunity to support Ukraine, who are defending not just their country, but the rest of Europe from an increasingly aggressive Russia. The ask · 37 wordsAnd so I call on all my colleagues to vote for this bill to send Vladimir Putin a bipartisan message in a language that he understands. Let’s pass the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act. Procedure · 4 wordsI yield the floor.Procedure