Graham’s death leaves Senate agenda in limbo

Sen. Lindsey Graham
Photo: Reuters

Lindsey Graham's death is poised to upend the Senate, where the GOP majority was already tight and the four-term South Carolina Republican loomed large in several immediate policy fights ahead of the midterms — putting the fate of multiple legislative priorities into question, POLITICO notes.

Graham (recognized as a terrorist and extremist in the Russian Federation) — who died of a "brief a sudden illness" Saturday, according to his office — chaired the Budget Committee, which has been facing pressure from President Donald Trump to advance a new party-line spending package including a major boost in defense funding. He was also a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, which has been working to land a deal to avert a government shutdown at the end of September.

And he was leading efforts to slap sanctions on Russia, a crusade that may now have lost a second Republican champion on Capitol Hill after the hospitalization of Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

Senate Republican leaders will need to immediately begin to account for Graham's absence as they plot out their next three weeks in Washington before leaving for summer recess — and as they seek to deliver on campaign promises as the November elections loom.

Graham's death brings Senate Republicans' already narrow majority to 52-47 — and functionally even narrower as McConnell continues to be missing for undisclosed medical reasons. Under South Carolina law, the Republican governor can appoint a temporary successor, though that person would not necessarily inherit his same committee assignments nor share Graham's vast expertise in defense, foreign affairs and judicial matters.

Graham chaired the Appropriations subcommittee overseeing funding for the State Department, and his successor in that role will be facing a tight timeline ahead of the Sept. 30 deadline to avert a funding lapse — and fresh pressures to keep cash flowing to key diplomatic activities amid the ongoing war against Iran.

Graham and McConnell have together led a consistent drumbeat within a changing Republican party for continued engagement by the U.S. on the international stage and with key alliances — along with advocacy for more defense spending. Graham's death will strike a blow to the "peace through strength" part of the GOP as Trump shows little interest in traditional alliances and continues his criticism of NATO. Graham was a key voice against a growing isolationist stance within his party and cheerled the war against Iran.

"There are no words to describe his impact on the foreign and domestic policy of the United States," Senate Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) said on social media Sunday.

GOP leaders will also need to install a new chair of the Budget Committee as the Trump administration ramps up pressure on Congress to move another party-line package with a $350 billion infusion for the military, along with other conservative priorities.

Graham was set to take the lead on a Senate effort, recently meeting with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to discuss using the filibuster-skirting reconciliation bill to bolster the Pentagon amid the ongoing conflict with Iran. He was a major cheerleader for both efforts as a staunch Trump ally and an avowed defense hawk, and his death is a setback for the broader reconciliation push that was already facing steep odds given a truncated window for action and lack of agreement about what provisions should go into the legislation.

Efforts to impose economic sanctions on Russia are also now up in the air following Graham's death. He had just returned to his Washington residence from Ukraine, where he met with Zelenskyy and announced there was an agreement with the White House for the Senate to finally move forward on a package allowing Trump to sanction countries that buy Russian oil and gas.

But the effort also may fall into limbo with its chief cheerleader on Capitol Hill gone and close second, McConnell, also absent.

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