Sen. Lindsey Graham

Latest News:

January 9, 2013

Graham and Rep. Trey Gowdy sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder asking for clarification on the cause of delays on the Voter ID ruling that ended up costing the state of South Carolina $3.5 million.

January 8, 2013

At a press conference in Columbia, Graham blasted Pres. Barack Obama for his handling of the federal budget.

December 2, 2012

During negotiations over the “fiscal cliff” Graham expressed a willingness to raise taxes as long as commensurate spending cuts also were made.

November 27, 2012

From the time the story broke, Graham has been critical of the Obama Administration’s handling of the attack on the US Consulate in Benghazi.

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Graham On Patch And On the Issues

All of Patch’s coverage of Lindsey Graham can be found HERE.

Graham's positions on the issues can be found HERE.

Graham’s voting record can be viewed HERE.

Graham serves on the following committees:

Appropriations

The Senate Appropriations Committee role is defined by the U.S. Constitution, which requires "appropriations made by law" prior to the expenditure of any money from the Federal treasury. The Committee writes the legislation that allocates federal funds to the numerous government agencies, departments, and organizations on an annual basis.

Armed Services

The Committee on Armed Services has jurisdiction over all areas of national defense including the Department of Defense, the Department of the Army, the Department of the Navy, and the Department of the Air Force.

Aging

The Special Committee on Aging studies issues of concern to older Americans, conducts oversight of programs like Social Security and Medicare, and investigates reports of fraud and waste.  The Committee serves as a focal point in the Senate for discussion and debate on matters relating to older Americans.

Budget

The Budget Committee is responsible for drafting Congress' annual budget plan and monitoring action on the federal budget. In addition, the Budget Committee has jurisdiction over the operation of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The budget resolution prepared by the committee each year sets out a broad blueprint for total revenues and spending for the federal government. Authorizing and appropriations committees prepare legislation that enacts specific tax and spending policies.

Judiciary

The Committee on the Judiciary is responsible for overseeing the nominations process of all federal judges for the circuit and district courts as well as justices nominated to the Supreme Court. Other key areas of responsibility are immigration and naturalization, state and territory boundary lines and civil liberties. The Committee also oversees all federal courts, including civil and criminal courts. The Judiciary Committee has one of the broadest jurisdictions in the Senate, and covers areas ranging from criminal justice to antitrust and intellectual property law.

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Graham on Social Media

Graham’s Official Twitter page can be viewed HERE.

Graham’s Campaign Twitter page can be viewed HERE.

Graham’s Facebook page can be viewed HERE.

Graham’s YouTube page can be viewed HERE.

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Graham Biography

Few members of the United States Senate have as compelling a personal biography as Lindsey Graham.

He was born in Central and was the first member of his family to go to college. While attending college, both his parents died within two years of each other. Graham eventually adopted his younger sister and cared for her while attending college.

He graduated from the University of South Carolina with a degree in psychology and later with a law degree. After receiving his law degree, Graham joined the Air Force and served as a judge advocate for more than six years before entering private practice. He later joined the Air Force Reserve and achieved the rank of Colonel.

In 1992 he ran for and won a seat in the South Carolina House of Representatives. Two years later, he won the right to represent to the Third Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives, a seat he held through 2002. He was the first Republican to hold the seat since Reconstruction.

In 2002, Graham was elected as the Senior Senator from South Carolina, replacing the legendary Strom Thurmond, who had retired. Graham was re-elected easily in 2008.

Since entering public life, Graham has earned a national reputation as an outspoken advocate for a strong national defense and as an ally of Arizona Sen. John McCain with whom he shares many views.

Thanks to his willingness to speak frankly, Graham is a regular guest on the political talk show circuit.

Some of the more conservative members of the Republican Party have criticized Graham for working too closely with Democrats and being too moderate. For these reasons, Graham is almost certain to face a challenge from within his own party when he runs for a third term in 2014.

Keep up with all of Patch's coverage of South Carolina politics by following us on Facebook HERE and Twitter HERE.