Mike Pence urges Congress to honor Sen. Lindsey Graham by attaching his name to the bipartisan Russia sanctions bill he championed, arguing the measure would be a fitting legacy. Pence, speaking in an exclusive interview, frames the legislation as a durable tribute to Graham’s decades of hawkish national security stances and tireless backing of allies. This article recounts Pence’s appeal, personal memories of Graham, and why fellow Republicans should finish the work the senator began.
Pence makes a direct, unapologetic case for renaming the sanctions package after Graham and sending it to the president to sign. He believes the legislation embodies Graham’s conviction that economic pressure is vital to confronting hostile regimes. “I also believe it’d be altogether fitting to put Sen. Lindsey Graham’s name on that bill,” Pence said.
Pence stresses that Graham saw Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a central geopolitical crisis of our time and pushed for tough measures in response. He argues that sanctions are not symbolic; they are strategic tools to bring adversaries to the bargaining table. “He never had any illusions about who we were dealing with — with Vladimir Putin,” Pence said.
The former vice president points out Graham’s consistent record on strong defense, support for Israel, and backing for NATO allies to boost spending. That record, Pence insists, made Graham one of the Senate’s most influential hawks and a reliable voice for American strength abroad. For Republicans, honoring that consistency matters as much as honoring the man himself.
Pence recalls a small, vivid moment at Reagan National Airport that captures the personal side of Graham and his public urgency. The senator began with family questions, asked after Pence’s son and son-in-law who serve as military pilots, then pivoted straight into policy. “We went straight into a conversation about Ukraine sanctions,” Pence recalled.
The interaction turned intense and earnest, with Graham leaning in physically to drive home the point about sanctions and strategy. He told Pence exactly how to keep pressing the matter, using plain, forceful language. “‘You just stay on this. This is the way we’re gonna get this done. This is the way you bring Putin to the table,'” Pence recounted.
That airport scene, brief as it was, underscores the combination of warmth and steely focus that defined Graham for Pence. He remembers Graham’s jokes and family talk, but also his rapid return to policy with single-minded purpose. “He was a very serious legislator,” Pence said. “He was a man who was deeply committed to policy.”
Pence frames the proposed renaming not as political theater but as an act of continuity—finishing the job Graham spent years pursuing. He urges lawmakers to pass the bipartisan sanctions measure Graham helped forge and to send it to the president with the senator’s name attached. “I really do believe there would be no more fitting tribute to the life and vision of Senator Lindsey Graham than for Congress to pass and the president to sign the tough Russia sanctions bill,” Pence said.
The former vice president also notes that Graham’s convictions cut across multiple national security challenges, from Iran to China, and included steadfast support for life and for Israel. Pence emphasizes that Graham never wavered on those core positions and that his legacy is policy-forward. “He never wavered,” Pence said.
Pence admits the news of Graham’s passing hit him hard, describing an immediate, personal sorrow and a heavy heart. Their relationship stretches back decades to the Republican Revolution of the 1990s, and they later served together in Congress and in the Trump administration. “I was taken aback by the news,” Pence said. “I really, really have a heavy heart to this hour.”
Beyond personal grief, Pence calls for practical action: finish the legislation and lock in the policy principles Graham fought for. He pledges to continue pushing the sanctions in Congress and to keep Graham’s priorities alive in the public square. “I’m going to continue to champion that in the days ahead,” Pence said.
For Republicans who value strength and steady commitment to allies, Pence presents a clear choice—recognize Graham’s work with law that carries his name and keeps pressure on adversaries. The senator’s decades of advocacy created a framework for confronting threats that conservatives still endorse. Passing the sanctions bill, Pence argues, would be an appropriate way to convert respect into results.
