Senate Majority Leader John Thune is making it clear that one of Lindsey Graham's final legislative priorities isn't going to die with him, and he's pushing colleagues to get it across the finish line. As Conservative Brief reported, Thune said Monday that passing the bipartisan Russia sanctions package would be both good policy and a fitting tribute to the late South Carolina senator.
Graham died Saturday at the age of 71. His office said the preliminary cause of death was an acute aortic dissection caused by arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Just one day before he died, the man was in Kyiv meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Say what you want about Graham over the years, but the guy was literally working the problem until his last day on earth. Most senators spend their final legislative days trying to rename a post office in their home state. Graham was in a war zone.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster wasted no time appointing Graham's younger sister, Darline Graham Nordone, to temporarily fill the seat until voters pick a successor in November. Nothing says "keep it in the family" quite like inheriting a Senate seat over the weekend.
Thune appeared on CNN Monday and told anchor Dana Bash that the sanctions bill remains a leadership priority. He estimated the measure could pull between 80 and 90 votes if lawmakers can agree on the final language, which in Senate terms means "if everyone can stop arguing about commas for five minutes."
"Lindsey had been working that issue for a long time," Thune said. "It's one of those things he was very passionate about. He wants to see a free and independent Ukraine, as all of us do."
Thune also noted that the White House had worked closely with Graham on the proposal and that Democrats had expressed support. A bill that could get 80 to 90 votes in a Senate that can barely agree on what day it is would be a genuinely remarkable achievement.
"This sanctions bill was probably, in his last days, the thing that he cared the most about, in terms of an accomplishment," Thune said. "So I'm hopeful we can get that done. It's something we've been talking about for a long time."
Following the news of Graham's death, Zelenskyy said he was "deeply saddened" and praised the senator as one of Ukraine's strongest supporters in Washington. That tracks. Graham was one of the most consistent voices in Congress on Ukraine support, regardless of which way the political winds were blowing on any given Tuesday.
Thune framed passage of the bill as a bipartisan effort that would cement Graham's legacy. "It would certainly be an incredible legacy for him if, in fact, we could find a path forward," he said. "It'll take Democrats and Republicans here in the Senate to do that. But I'm hopeful we can make that happen."
No floor vote has been scheduled yet, which is the Senate's polite way of saying they're still figuring things out. But with broad support from both parties and the emotional weight of a colleague's final wish behind it, this might be one of those rare moments where Congress actually moves with something resembling urgency.
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