Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Energy and Water subcommittee who oversees Savannah River Site in his state, died suddenly Saturday, Graham’s office said Sunday.
“On the evening of Saturday, July 11, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham passed away from a brief and sudden illness,” Graham’s office said in a statement early Sunday. “Senator Graham’s family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period.”
At 71, Graham was a stalwart ally of President Donald Trump’s, and his death endangers the narrow GOP majority in the Senate, which was 53-47. South Carolina law dictates the state’s Republican governor can appoint someone immediately to fulfill the rest of Graham’s term, but that term expires in January.
A Senator since 2002, Graham was chairman of the Senate Budget Committee. He frequently advocated for Savannah River’s nuclear missions, including recently when he criticized the Department of Energy’s decision to reprogram and redirect funding intended for Savannah River Site toward the Los Alamos National Laboratory’s pit production program in New Mexico.