Pence calls on Congress to rename Russia sanctions bill for Graham

FIRST ON FOX: Former Vice President Mike Pence is calling on Congress to rename Sen. Lindsey Graham’s signature Russia sanctions bill after the South Carolina Republican, telling Fox News Digital that “there will no longer be appropriate deference” to one of the Senate’s most influential national security hawks.

In an exclusive interview, Pence said Graham’s years-long push for tougher sanctions against Russia should be both his legislative legacy and a lasting reminder of his unwavering support for Ukraine and America’s allies.

Pence argued that Congress had a rare opportunity to honor Graham by approving the bipartisan sanctions package he has championed for years and sending it to President Donald Trump with the senator’s name.

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“I also believe it would be entirely appropriate to put Senator Lindsey Graham’s name on this bill,” Pence told Fox News Digital. “Send this to the president, have him sign it and make it law.”

Pence said Graham viewed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as one of the defining geopolitical challenges of the era and believed economic pressure was necessary to force Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate.

“He has no illusions about who we are dealing with, which is Vladimir Putin,” Pence said.

The former vice president, who has been to Ukraine twice since Russia’s invasion, said Graham understands that Ukraine represents “a frontier of freedom” and has consistently pushed both Republican and Democratic administrations to stand with America’s allies.

Asked if the sanctions bill would be Graham’s greatest achievement, Pence said it might well define how history remembers the longtime senator.

“I think it could happen,” Pence said.

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Pence praised Graham’s advocacy for Israel, Ukraine and a stronger NATO alliance. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

He said the senator has remained remarkably consistent throughout his public career, noting Graham’s decades-long advocacy for Israel, Ukraine and a stronger NATO alliance.

Pence said Graham also played a key role in encouraging NATO allies to increase defense spending during the first Trump administration while remaining one of Israel’s fiercest defenders on Capitol Hill.

But for Pence, Graham’s latest legislative push is inseparable from their last conversations together.

He still remembers the meeting vividly.

Pence and his wife, Karen, had just landed at Reagan National Airport and were heading toward the terminal when they saw Graham heading toward another gate.

Graham began, as he almost always does, by asking questions about Pence’s family.

The senator asked for updates on Pence’s son, a Marine Corps fighter pilot, and son-in-law, a Navy fighter pilot. Pence said Graham never forgot to ask these things.

But the conversation soon turned to the topic that occupied Graham’s attention in his final months.

“We started talking directly about Ukraine sanctions,” Pence recalled.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (left) meets with Senator Lindsey Graham in Kiev, Ukraine, on March 18, 2024. Pence said Graham’s bipartisan Russia sanctions bill should be renamed in the senator’s honor. (Ukrainian Presidency/Anatolia, via Getty Images)

Pence thanked Graham for leading the effort and mentioned a Wall Street Journal opinion piece supporting tougher sanctions against Russia.

Graham bowed immediately.

“He did one of these things, put his finger on my chest and said: ‘You stay on top of this. This is how we’re going to handle this. This is how you bring Putin to the table.'”

The two men embraced before heading towards separate doors.

“We parted with a handshake and a hug,” Pence said.

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Looking back, Pence said the brief encounter at the airport perfectly captured the man he had known for decades.

Pence said Graham liked to talk about family and could always be counted on for a joke, but rarely lasted long in personal conversation before turning to public policy.

“He was a very serious legislator,” Pence said. “He was a man deeply committed to politics.”

Pence said Graham’s convictions have never wavered, whether it’s supporting the military, standing with Israel, protecting unborn life or confronting authoritarian regimes like Russia, Iran and China.

“He never wavered,” Pence said.

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The former vice president said he learned of Graham’s death Sunday morning and was deeply saddened by the loss of someone he first knew during the Republican Revolution in the 1990s before serving with him in Congress and later in the Trump administration.

“I was very surprised by the news,” Pence said. “I have a really heavy heart at this hour.”

Pence said he hopes lawmakers will finish the work Graham has devoted years to advancing.

“I truly believe there could be no more fitting tribute to the life and vision of Senator Lindsey Graham than Congress passing and the president signing the tough Russia sanctions bill,” Pence said.

“I will continue to advocate for this in the coming days.”

The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.