[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 113 (Monday, July 13, 2026)]
[House]
[Pages H4404-H4405]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  IN MEMORY OF SENATOR LINDSEY GRAHAM

  (Mr. CLYBURN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. CLYBURN. Mr. Speaker, I, like many others, were shocked and 
saddened to learn of the passing of Senator Lindsey Graham, who served 
in this body from 1995 to 2003, when he left to begin serving in the 
Senate.
  I wrote in the introduction to my memoir that I am a child of blessed 
experiences, generally southern, proudly Black. All of my experiences 
have not been pleasant, but I have considered all of them to be 
blessings, and so it was with Lindsey Graham.
  My relationships with Lindsey were sometimes partisan and passionate, 
mostly productive on behalf of the people of South Carolina.
  For more than three decades, we served the people of the Palmetto 
State together here in Congress. Throughout that time, we maintained a 
relationship grounded in mutual respect, even when our political 
differences were significant. His commitment to public service and the 
people he represented will remain an enduring part of his legacy.
  I shall never forget playing a round of golf with Lindsey Graham in 
one of South Carolina's many beautiful golf courses, and I raised an 
issue with him that I thought was very significant.
  I said to him that South Carolina, which I considered to be one of, 
if not the most, historic States in our Nation, was without a heritage 
corridor, and I thought that one was in order for the State.
  Lindsey said he agreed with me, but I said to him: Lindsey, this bill 
that I have introduced to create the South Carolina National Heritage 
Corridor will never become law with my name on it. Things had gotten a 
bit too partisan back in 1994, 1995, and 1996.
  I asked him to put his name on it. He said to me: I don't want to 
take your legislation. I said to him: You are not taking it. I am 
giving it to you.
  Then he said: I don't know if I understand what it is all about. I 
said to him: When the bill is called, invite me to speak on it, and he 
did.
  South Carolina got that heritage corridor. It has now got two more 
since, and in every one of those heritage corridors, I worked with 
Lindsey Graham to make it happen.
  South Carolina now has three national parks. We had only one national 
monument, but now we have three national parks. The monument I worked 
with his predecessor to get, but with the last two national parks, I 
worked with Lindsey Graham to do it quietly.
  We didn't have press conferences. We just sat down with each other or 
we got in the golf cart together to make it happen. That is the way it 
was with Lindsey Graham, someone who was passionate but productive and 
sometimes pleasant--sometimes.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. 
Wilson).
  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I thank very much 
Congressman Clyburn for yielding.
  Indeed, it is bipartisan this evening with our delegation, and South 
Carolina so appreciates the remarkable service and successes of Senator 
Lindsey Graham.
  It is so personal to me that I got to meet him in his public service. 
As staff judge advocate to the army air guard, he was staff judge 
advocate to the air guard. I thank him for his public service and 
service in the military.
  He served in the State House of South Carolina, the U.S. House of 
Representatives, and obviously in the U.S. Senate, but he was dedicated 
to the people of South Carolina.
  It is really incredible that during the last week of his service, he 
was present with President Trump for the NATO meetings with Ankara. 
While he was there, he met with President Ahmad al-Sharaa of Syria and 
proclaimed that we need to give Syria a chance. He understood how 
important it is to have a stable and secure Syria as himself being a 
proponent of a stable and sovereign Israel.
  He has always stood with Israel. Then, on Friday, of all things, he 
had the opportunity to be in Kyiv, Ukraine, with President Volodymyr 
Zelenskyy where he, again, was so forceful in pointing out that indeed 
the sanctions bill, as has been agreed to by President Donald Trump, 
puts sanctions on war criminal Putin.
  While he was there, he also toured a drone manufacturing facility. He 
returned back to the United States on Saturday, and he actually had a 
very positive conversation with President Donald Trump. Then, almost 
immediately after that call, he sadly had a chronic acute heart attack 
and passed away.
  In the meantime, today is a very significant day in that our Governor 
Henry McMaster I think has made an incredible choice and that is to 
appoint the sister of Senator Lindsey Graham, Darline, to be the new 
U.S. Senator from South Carolina.
  As we are remembering Senator Graham, we can just cherish so many 
memories that all of us had.
  Mr. Speaker, I now move for a moment of silence.

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