Following Senator Lindsey Graham's (R-SC) sudden passing last Saturday, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) is urging Congress to honor his friend and colleague by passing his latest legislative effort.
Sen. Graham died from an aortic dissection caused by heart disease, according to medical examiners. The senator served for 23 years and was in Kyiv, Ukraine, the day before his passing to speak on his bipartisan Russia sanctions legislation that would increase pressure on Russia and its trading partners.
“He was a dear friend of mine and a dear friend of everyone here,” Sen. Cruz said at a press conference on Tuesday. “He was beloved in the United States Senate, and he was beloved by Donald Trump.”
Sen. Cruz is now calling on his fellow senators to put Sen. Graham’s Russia sanctions bill on the floor, renaming it the Lindsey Graham Russia Accountability Act and passing it into law to honor the Senator.
“Lindsey spent every waking moment thinking about how to stop you and how to keep America safe,” Sen. Cruz said at a press conference on Tuesday. “This bill is a direct manifestation of standing up to Russia and Vladimir Putin.”
Sen. Cruz said Sen. Graham had a special appreciation for the men and women in the military, while also acting as the most “committed opponent” to those deemed America’s enemies.
“If you are America's enemies, if you seek to do harm to our armed services, if you seek to endanger the lives of Americans, Lindsey spent every waking moment thinking about how to stop you and how to keep America safe,” Sen. Cruz said.
Although State Governor Henry McMaster (R-SC) appointed Sen. Graham’s sister to serve the remainder of his Senate term, Sen. Cruz said no one will ever truly replace him.
“Nobody will fill the role that Lindsey Graham played in this Senate,” he said. “But we do have an obligation to carry on with the same devotion to the American people.”
Passing the Lindsey Graham Russia Accountability Act is the most fitting way for Congress to honor Sen. Graham’s legacy, Sen. Cruz said.
“His impact will last through the decades. This legislation will as well,” Sen. Cruz said.
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