Sens. Durbin, Duckworth honor memory of Sen. Lindsey Graham
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) issued a statement honoring the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), who died this weekend.
Among other things, Durbin credited Graham for supporting the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act, or DREAM Act, which would provide a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as minors. The act would grant them temporary conditional residency and, if they are able to satisfy further qualifications, permanent residency and eventually the ability to gain full citizenship.
Durbin has been trying to pass the DREAM Act since 2001, and credited Graham for crossing party lines to cosponsor it.
"I was with Lindsey last week at the NATO Summit in Türkiye. At a private dinner at the Ambassador's residence, he was working every Senator on a strategy to end the war in Ukraine. Typical Lindsey.
"Lindsey was part of every important policy issue and an indispensable player in every Senate 'gang'. He was a fierce Republican partisan one day and a key bipartisan ally the next.
"When I was Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, he was the Ranking Republican. His word was good — no cheap shots.
"He knew the Dream Act was my most important bill. He was the only Republican who would cosponsor it for years. I will never forget it.
"Loretta and I send our condolences to Lindsey's family and legion of friends in South Carolina and around the world."
U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois) also released a statement Sunday, reflecting on Graham's decades of service to the country:
"Shocked and saddened by the news that Senator Lindsey Graham has passed. We didn't agree on everything, but I never doubted he loved our country as much as I do. He devoted his life to serving our nation, first in uniform for over 33 years and then in the Senate where he fought for the best interests of his constituents, our servicemembers, our fellow Veterans and partners and allies around the globe.
"My heart is with his loved ones and the people of South Carolina during this difficult time.
"May he rest in peace."
University of Chicago political science professor Paul Poast talked about how Graham's passion shaped U.S. policy.
"The most prominent recent example of this is that Graham played a critical role in convincing Donald Trump to launch the current war in Iran," Poast said. "To the best information that we have, Lindsey Graham actually met with Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, to kind of coach Netanyahu on the arguments to be made to Trump to convince Trump that it was time to take military action against Iran."
Graham's office said in a statement that he died Saturday evening of a "brief and sudden illness." It was later revealed by Graham's spokesperson on Sunday afternoon that the cause of death was aortic dissection due to Arteriosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease, according to preliminary findings by the Medical Examiner of the District of Columbia.
Graham was scheduled to appear on NBC News' "Meet the Press" on Sunday, according to the broadcaster.
President Trump paid tribute to Graham, calling him "one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known," in a Truth Social post.
Graham had been running for a fifth term in the U.S. Senate.
Under South Carolina state law, Republican Gov. Henry McMaster will appoint an interim replacement for Graham's seat, who will serve until January 3, 2027. Since Graham's seat was up for reelection this year, the next senator will be elected in the existing midterms on November 3, 2026.
