Former Vice President Mike Pence said he still remembers the last time he spoke with Sen. Lindsey Graham — an exchange at Reagan National Airport that moved from family talk to a policy appeal in seconds.
Pence told Fox News Digital the two men “went straight into a conversation about Ukraine sanctions.” He recalled Graham leaning in and saying, “You just stay on this,” a line Pence described as emblematic of Graham’s final months focused on confronting Russia.
Lindsey Graham
Pence urged Congress to honor Graham by renaming the bipartisan Russia sanctions package the senator had championed. “I also believe it’d be altogether fitting to put Sen. Lindsey Graham’s name on that bill,” Pence told Fox News Digital, adding: “Send it to the president, have him sign it into law.”
The appeal mixes personal tribute and policy urgency. Pence framed the renaming as a way to cement Graham’s legacy on Ukraine policy and the effort to increase pressure on Vladimir Putin’s government.
“He did one of those — puts his finger in my chest — and said, ‘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 described Graham as a lawmaker who combined personal warmth with relentless focus on foreign policy. He said Graham repeatedly pressed colleagues to adopt tougher measures to raise the economic costs on Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine.
What the sanctions package would do
Supporters describe the bipartisan package as designed to tighten penalties on Russia and limit its access to critical technologies and global finance. Backers say measures like expanded designations, tighter export controls and coordinated restrictions on key sectors aim to increase pressure on officials and entities tied to the Kremlin.
Proponents argue such tools, used in tandem with allied measures, can make it harder for Russia to sustain military operations and push leadership toward negotiation. Critics note sanctions are one component of a broader policy mix that also includes diplomatic coordination and support for Ukraine’s defense needs.
Graham had been a vocal advocate for robust support of Ukraine and for making sanctions a central instrument of U.S. strategy to deter Russian aggression. Pence said attaching Graham’s name would recognize that persistent advocacy.
Legislatively, the path is simple in form: Congress would need to approve the bipartisan bill and send it to the president for signature. Pence urged lawmakers to act quickly so the measure could be delivered to the White House with Graham’s name attached.
In practice, lawmakers must still negotiate timing, potential amendments and floor strategy. Renaming a bill is symbolic — it does not change the legal text — but such gestures can signal congressional priorities and honor a lawmaker’s role in shaping policy debates.
Pence framed his request as an appeal to both congressional Republicans and to President Trump, urging them to finish the work Graham had spent years advocating.
The call to rename the sanctions bill comes as debate continues over how the U.S. and its allies should sustain pressure on Russia while supporting Ukraine. Supporters of expanded sanctions say they are a core tool to raise costs for Kremlin-aligned actors; skeptics stress the need for allied coordination and complementary support for Ukraine’s security.
Pence said he plans to continue advocating that Congress pass the bipartisan sanctions package and present it to the president with Graham’s name attached, saying it would be “no more fitting tribute to the life and vision of Senator Lindsey Graham.”
Source: Fox News Digital. Pence’s account of the Reagan National Airport conversation is presented as his recollection and has not been independently verified. The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
