[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 114 (Tuesday, July 14, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3915-S3916]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                       Remembering Lindsey Graham

  Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I rise today to honor my good friend and 
colleague Lindsey Graham.
  Our colleague from South Carolina led an impactful life. He leaves an 
impressive legacy, and he left all of us important lessons for life.
  The great cause to which Lindsey Graham devoted his life was the 
United States of America. That is what it was from day one all the way 
to the end. Lindsey Graham loved America. He believed that our Nation 
is exceptional, as do so many of us. He believed our Nation was worth 
fighting for. He believed especially in the American people. He fought 
for the people of his home State of South Carolina and the people of 
this great country every single day, and he did it with determination. 
He always believed that America was a nation that he needed to fight 
for every day to make us safer and stronger.
  His life was shaped early on by duty and by love. Tragedy came early. 
At the age of 21, he lost both of his parents within 15 months. At the 
time, he began raising his 13-year-old sister Darline. He made sure 
that she stayed

[[Page S3916]]

in school and went on to continue her education in college. He was with 
her all the way. He later adopted her.
  Lindsey once said that he was most proud of the woman that Darline 
had become. Now Darline is going to fill her brother's seat right here 
in the U.S. Senate, and there is nobody better to carry on Lindsey's 
legacy than his beloved sister.
  Lindsey was a strong advocate for our military. He joined the Air 
Force right out of law school, and he served our Nation, in uniform, 
for 33 years. He remained in the Reserves even while serving in 
Congress. One year, over New Year's, Lindsey was serving in 
Afghanistan. I went and met him there, and we went and visited with the 
troops from my home State of Wyoming and with his troops from South 
Carolina. He never let anyone forget how proud he was of our 
servicemembers and of our country.
  Lindsey's dad ran a bar in South Carolina. Lindsey talked about it 
often. He used to say it was good training for his life in politics. 
Lindsey told me that one of the key lessons he learned from his father 
was this: The key to being a successful bar owner in South Carolina--
probably or anywhere--is you have to be funny enough that people will 
keep coming back, and you have to be tough enough so people won't take 
over your business.
  That was Lindsey Graham. He was the funniest man in the U.S. Senate. 
His humor was like Super Glue. It brought people together. It kept them 
together.
  Lindsey and I traveled the world, often to war zones, and when you 
traveled with Lindsey, you visited a lot of tough places around the 
world. We visited Iraq, Afghanistan, Ukraine. We traveled to show our 
support for the men and women of our military. Lindsey and I got to 
know each other on those long trips, and we shared a lot of laughs. I 
will never forget how much fun it was with Lindsey to sing the lyrics 
of the old television shows, the ones from the fifties, sixties, and 
early seventies. Some of his favorites--and he knew all the words--were 
``Gilligan's Island,'' ``The Beverly Hillbillies,'' ``The Addams 
Family,'' ``Green Acres,'' ``F Troop,'' and, of course, ``Car 54, Where 
Are You?''
  We would sing together, we would laugh, and these moments will stay 
with me forever. His friendship meant the world to me.
  You know, Lindsey was constantly on the move. He just returned from 
Ukraine this past weekend. He was scheduled to be on ``Meet the Press'' 
on Sunday morning in the studio. I think his favorite three places to 
be were at home in South Carolina, on the golf course with President 
Trump, and in front of the TV camera for Sunday morning news shows.
  His greatest strength, of course, was his character. In Congress, 
people are often divided into show horses and workhorses. Lindsey was 
both. He was a show horse and a workhorse, and he was the best at both.
  As President Trump said on Sunday morning, Lindsey was uncommonly 
hard-working, energetic, and steadfast. When Lindsey believed in 
something, he fought for it, and no one was more effective. The 
American people remember his stirring defense of now-Justice Brett 
Kavanaugh. It was an incredible moment, and his words changed the 
course of history.
  Lindsey was a true conservative, and he also believed in working 
across the aisle. He wanted to tackle our Nation's most pressing 
challenges, and he knew in many ways you had to do that in a bipartisan 
way. He believed in the Reagan approach: If you can't get the whole 
loaf at once, take it a slice at a time. That is how the Senate is 
supposed to work.
  Lindsey chaired some of the most powerful committees in this Chamber. 
As chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, he led the second 
fastest confirmation of a Supreme Court Justice of all times--Amy Coney 
Barrett.
  When this Congress began in 2025, he became the chairman of the 
Senate Budget Committee. He made clear that he would carry out the 
agenda that the American people had just voted for in November of 2024. 
He guided the Senate through some of the toughest battles we have ever 
had. The Working Families Tax Cut law and the Secure America Act are a 
direct result of Lindsey Graham's leadership.
  As whip, my job is to count the votes, and I could always count on 
Lindsey to help when the votes were close. The Senate has taken 135 
votes on hostile amendments from the Democrats in the last year and a 
half. They were trying to undermine the Republican agenda. Thanks to 
Lindsey's persistence and his help, we did not lose a single one.
  Lindsey truly was a force of nature here in the Senate. From the 
cloakroom to the committee room, to the campaign trail, he brimmed with 
ideas and with energy. That is what makes his passing and the timing of 
it so tragic. He was at the peak of his influence and impact. He still 
had so much more to do and to give.
  The U.S. Senate will never see anyone quite like Lindsey Graham 
again. He was a happy warrior, he always put service before himself, 
and he believed in the Senate as an institution. He continued to shape 
it throughout his successful and significant career. He helped make 
America stronger and safer.
  I join the entire Senate and his friends and his family in mourning 
the loss of our dear friend Lindsey Graham.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Sheehy). The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. COTTON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.