Official Congressional Record
Mr. Speaker, I thank Joe Wilson for organizing this fitting tribute to a statesman who we will surely miss. I join my colleagues here both from South Carolina but really around the country, and indeed around the world, in mourning the passing of our senior Senator, statesman Lindsey Graham. Lindsey was more than just a Senator. He was a dedicated public servant, a fierce advocate for South Carolina, and an even better person and a great friend. His life, his legacy are the people and the lives that he touched, the energy that he brought to public service, the dedication to issues, the enjoyment of a good argument, even when you disagreed with him, and the humor that he always had really in almost every situation. It really was kind of a hallmark of who he was. He was from central South Carolina, born to working-class parents who died very early. He was placed in an incredible predicament, at 21 years of age, to take care of his 13-year-old sister. What an insane thing to think about in our country right now, that somebody would do that and that they would not just try to do it--a lot of people would try to care for their siblings--but that they would be successful in that endeavor and really stop and take a moment and make sure that your number one mission was the success of your family and your young sister. Lindsey’s entire world was turned upside down when he lost his parents, but he did a remarkable job. I think that shows who he is as a person. He has had a lot of titles, Mr. Speaker. He was in the State legislature; he was a Congressman; and he was our Senator for 30 years. In South Carolina, we have Senators for a long time. Thirty years is a long time in this body, and what a mark it is that he left. Some people come up to Washington, D.C., and hit ``yes,’’ hit ``no,’’ and think that they have done something impactful, but Lindsey Graham was a mover and a shaker. He really understood how to maneuver and how to work with people to accomplish something. I think it was said by Mr. Wilson earlier that even when you disagreed with him, he found something that we could work on together. That is a hallmark of who he was. I first saw Lindsey when I was 18 years old, and he was campaigning for the first time for the United States Senate. It was after 9/11. He was in Congress at the time but was campaigning. Our President then, George W. Bush, was campaigning with him in Columbia, South Carolina. I just remember at such a young age, just the moment after 9/11, how impacted the country was and the feeling of unity. Certainly, the President captured that at the time. He captured that, and it really helped land him in the United States Senate. I, fortunately, interned for him. It was an interesting summer because Lindsey always liked to tackle tough issues. He didn’t come up here to not be in the middle of the fray. President Teddy Roosevelt talks about the man in the arena, that even if he fails, he does so striving valiantly. That particular summer, Mr. Speaker, was the summer that he tried to tackle comprehensive immigration reform, which landed him in a lot of hot water from both sides of the political aisle. I just remember that summer. Of course, I loved it. I had never been to D.C., but I loved the experience of fielding phone calls and seeing how our government works. That was who he was. Later, Mr. Speaker, when I got elected to Congress, the Senator jokingly asked if I wanted my desk back from when I was an intern and my old headset back, but the scars from that summer were still fresh. I did not take him up on that offer. The great thing about the Senator that I would say, just as a person who grew up watching his career and then being part of Team South Carolina and fighting for the State, was that he really invested in people. He would work with Congressman Wilson’s office and Congressman Clyburn, the whole delegation. He would work with our new addition, our fantastic addition, Mrs. Biggs, to try to find ways to advance issues that she was working on. He worked on things that mattered to South Carolina, whether it was an appropriation for a firehouse in Cheraw, South Carolina, whether it was a piece of legislation that he and I worked on, the Logan Federico act, it would be a phenomenally good change in the way that we track violent criminals in this State. He always had his finger on the pulse of what was going on. He was always thinking about how to make the lives of South Carolinians and the American people a little bit better. Everyone knows how impactful he was not just in the Senate but with the White House. He was the unofficial whisperer to President Trump, how to navigate and have success in this body and in this town, making sure that you are delivering an agenda that the American people elected you to do. That takes real courage, that takes guts, and that takes a lot of long days and evenings navigating that endless array of traps that you could fall into, Mr. Speaker, but that was who he was. He didn’t sit around and wait for things to happen. He was always in the middle, trying to make sure that we were delivering on the things that we said we would. It was always an honor, Mr. Speaker, to work with him and Mr. Wilson, of course, and this whole delegation. It matters greatly. His loss is going to be tough to deal with just on a personal level but also on the way that he helped deliver for South Carolina. In 2 Timothy, the Apostle Paul writes: ``I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for His appearing.’’ My friend, Lindsey Graham, has fought the good fight. He has kept the faith. Although unexpectedly, I know he is reunited with his parents. He has received that crown, and in the midst of that beautiful reunion, he has heard the words: Well done, My good and faithful servant.
