Bennet Statement on Senate Passage of Russia Sanctions Legislation

Aug 7, 2026 | Press Releases

Washington, D.C. - Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the Senate Finance Committee, released the below statement after voting to pass the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026. Bennet was an original co-sponsor of the legislation, a version of which he supported for over a year, to impose sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin's inner circle and his enablers across Russian industry and financial institutions, the Russian shadow fleet, and firms supporting Russia's defense industrial base.

"Today, the Senate took a significant step to support the Ukrainian people in their fight against Russian aggression. This legislation will impose greater pressure on Putin to end his unprovoked war by denying him key oil and gas revenue and placing further sanctions on the architects of Russia's war economy - which is already under strain thanks to the combined weight of existing U.S. and allied measures.

"This vote could not have come soon enough. Ukraine is seizing the momentum on the battlefield and increasingly taking the fight to Moscow. Only by demonstrating our firm resolve can the United States and our allies support Ukraine's pursuit of a just and durable end to this war and successfully defend the principle of a Europe whole, free, and at peace. The House must take up this legislation as soon as possible when they return in September. And the Senate must do everything we can to support Ukraine - including by passing my legislation to bolster intelligence and drone cooperation."

Bennet's bipartisan Supporting Early-Childhood Educators' Deductions (SEED) Act served as the legislative vehicle for passage of the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026:

"This bill also incorporates my bipartisan SEED Act, which allows early childhood educators to claim the same tax deduction available to elementary and secondary school teachers. As the former Superintendent of Denver Public Schools, I know firsthand how often educators dip into their own pockets to provide school supplies for their students - this bill ends an unfair double standard and ensures that those who teach our youngest kids are not left behind."

For more information on the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, see HERE. For more information on Bennet's SEED Act, see HERE.

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