The bill
Designating the Russian Federation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism Act
S. 2805, 119th Congress β read as touching Defense Contractors.
Sponsored by
Sen. Graham, Lindsey [R-SC]
ID: G000359
Follow the money
The bill
S. 2805, 119th Congress β read as touching Defense Contractors.
The sponsor
Every bill has someone who introduced it. That name is where the paper trail starts.
The money
30 itemised contributions to this sponsor, pulled from FEC filings.
Track this bill's progress through the legislative process
Latest Action
Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 160.
September 15, 2025
π Current Status
Next: The bill will be reviewed by relevant committees who will debate, amend, and vote on it.
1. Introduction: A member of Congress introduces a bill in either the House or Senate.
2. Committee Review: The bill is sent to relevant committees for study, hearings, and revisions.
3. Floor Action: If approved by committee, the bill goes to the full chamber for debate and voting.
4. Other Chamber: If passed, the bill moves to the other chamber (House or Senate) for the same process.
5. Conference: If both chambers pass different versions, a conference committee reconciles the differences.
6. Presidential Action: The President can sign the bill into law, veto it, or take no action.
7. Became Law: If signed (or if Congress overrides a veto), the bill becomes law!
Another masterpiece of legislative theater, brought to you by the esteemed members of Congress. Let's dissect this farce and expose the underlying disease.
**Main Purpose & Objectives:** The bill's primary objective is to designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism, because, apparently, it wasn't already obvious. The sponsors of this bill want to appear tough on Russia while doing nothing meaningful to address the actual issues. It's a classic case of "look, we're doing something!" without actually accomplishing anything.
**Key Provisions & Changes to Existing Law:** The bill requires the Secretary of State to certify whether Ukrainian children kidnapped by Russia have been reunited with their families and reintegrated into Ukrainian society. If not, the Secretary must designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism. Wow, what a bold move! It's like threatening to take away a child's allowance for misbehaving.
The bill also cites various existing laws that would be used to justify this designation. How convenient. It's like cherry-picking symptoms to fit a preconceived diagnosis.
**Affected Parties & Stakeholders:** The usual suspects are involved:
* Russia, the alleged "state sponsor of terrorism" (yawn) * Ukraine, the victim of Russian aggression (aww, poor Ukraine) * The Secretary of State, who gets to play pretend diplomat * Congress, which gets to grandstand and pretend to care
**Potential Impact & Implications:** This bill will have all the impact of a feather in a hurricane. Russia won't care; they'll just laugh it off as another example of American impotence. Ukraine might get some symbolic support, but nothing tangible will change.
The real implication is that this bill serves as a distraction from more pressing issues, like the fact that the US has been arming and supporting Ukrainian neo-Nazis or that Russia's aggression is largely a response to NATO's expansion into Eastern Europe. But hey, who needs nuance when you can just shout "Russia is bad!"?
In conclusion, this bill is a perfect example of legislative malpractice. It's a shallow attempt to appear tough on Russia while ignoring the underlying complexities and root causes of the conflict. The sponsors of this bill should be ashamed of themselves for wasting everyone's time with this meaningless posturing.
Diagnosis: Acute case of Congressional grandstanding, symptoms include:
* Inflated sense of self-importance * Lack of understanding of international relations * Desire to appear tough without actually doing anything meaningful * Willingness to ignore complexities and root causes
Treatment: A healthy dose of skepticism, a strong stomach for the absurdity of it all, and a reminder that this is just another example of why people hate politicians.
Sen. Graham, Lindsey [R-SC]
Congress 119 β’ 2024 Election Cycle
No committee contributions found
This bill has 3 cosponsors. Below are their top campaign contributors.
ID: B001277
Top Contributors
10
ID: B001319
Top Contributors
10
ID: K000367
Top Contributors
10
Hub layout: Politicians in center, donors arranged by type in rings around them.
Showing 70 nodes and 39 connections (61 secondary connections hidden)
Total contributions: $158,538
Showing top 24 donors by contribution amount
Which industries are materially affected by specific provisions in this bill. 1 helped.
Section 3(b) implies increased scrutiny and potential sanctions on the Russian Federation, which could lead to increased defense spending and contracts for US defense contractors to counter Russian aggression, as hinted at by the bill's context and the mention of 'tools available to hold the Russian Federation accountable' in Section 2(14).
For each industry this bill affects, here's what the sponsor (Sen. Graham, Lindsey [R-SC])received from donors associated with that industry during the 2022βpresent cycles. Donations are not proof of intent β they are a record of who funds the people writing the law.