McCaul on House Floor: "Evil Is on the March. History Is Calling. Now Is the Time to Act."

WASHINGTON – Today, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Emeritus Michael McCaul (R-Texas) delivered opening remarks on the House floor in support of the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, which he introduced in the House with Congressman Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and a bipartisan group of their colleagues.

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Remarks as delivered:

This is a critical time in history — a time my friend Senator Lindsey Graham described as a “magic moment," a moment that we cannot afford to waste.

America’s adversaries — Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea — are working together to threaten the free world. And make no mistake: they are watching what we do here and now today, because they know they will suffer if this bill is passed.

Senator Lindsey Graham understood these global threats well. That’s why we spent more than a year working on this bill. He brought Republicans and Democrats together and secured the White House’s support. Today, we have a chance to finish his work — to help end this war in Europe and to project peace through strength around the globe.

I’m proud to champion the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, and I want to thank Mr. Hoyer and our colleagues on both sides of the aisle for their strong support.

For me, this is also personal. Lindsey Graham was my friend and my mentor. We shared a fundamental belief: “America is strongest at home when it projects strength abroad.”

This legislation does exactly that.

It targets the money that fuels Russia’s war machine. It sanctions Russian officials and oligarchs, banks and financial institutions, and the shadow fleet that helps [keep] cheap Russian energy moving.

And through precisely-targeted tariffs, it also punishes countries providing financial support for the deadliest war in Europe since WWII.

Why? Because, as we’ve heard from President Zelensky’s team, you can evade sanctions — which the Russians have done for years — but you cannot evade tariffs.

In fact, President Zelenksy’s sanctions expert, whom I personally met with in Kyiv, told me: “Tariffs are a powerful way to amplify the impact of sanctions.”

That’s why they are the teeth of this bill. Pursuant to the bill’s rule of construction, only the top five importers of Russian oil will be tariffed, and if a country falls off of the top five list, the tariffs are removed. It incentivizes a race to the bottom.

These countries have a choice to make about whether they will continue to sustain Putin’s aggression. Putin believes he can keep financing this war indefinitely. We need to change that calculation — and bleed his regime economically dry.

Because the Kremlin has murdered thousands of civilians in cold blood. They’ve bombed sacred churches and schools. They’ve kidnapped countless children, tortured and indoctrinated them, and sent them to fight on the frontlines against their own country.

We have a moral responsibility to bring an end to this suffering. But this is also a matter of national security.

If Putin is rewarded for invading a sovereign nation — if he succeeds — he has already told us he will go further. His army will move into Moldova, Georgia, and the Baltic States. Just like Putin wants to bring back the power of the Soviet Union, President Xi wants to restore imperial China. These dictators must be deterred — before it’s too late.

This legislation also extends sanctions on Iran, which are set to expire at the end of this year. Again, this is all tied together. In 2024, I spoke about the Iranian drones being used by Russia to kill Ukrainians. In return, Russia is reportedly providing targeting information to the IRGC.

We cannot look at one part of this threat and ignore the others. This bill leverages our economic strength to make it harder for these regimes to finance aggression.

Lindsey Graham once said that this bill would be his greatest achievement. I can think of no better way, Mr. Speaker, to honor his life and legacy than by passing these tough sanctions, which will force Mr. Putin to the negotiating table.

Evil is on the march. History is calling. And now is the time to act