Lawmakers return to Capitol Hill reeling from the news of Lindsey Graham’s sudden death. The loss of the influential Republican senator from South Carolina is prompting tributes from both sides of the political aisle.
"He had a unique ability. He was able to deal with Democrats and Republicans,” President Donald Trump told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” on Sunday. “If I had a problem with a Democrat he could work it out. He was a great politician."
Graham, who was highly engaged on issues of national security and foreign affairs during his 23 years in the Senate, also drew accolades from world leaders, including Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“What I remember most about Lindsey, what I would treasure most about him, was his just very quick wit, his wonderful sense of humor, and how he deployed it to move his policy positions forward,” Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., told Meet the Press. “His tremendous grasp of foreign policy, his staunch support of Ukraine, which I think will be a big part of his legacy.”
Graham had just returned from a trip to Ukraine, where he had met with Zelenskyy. Underscoring the suddenness of Graham’s death, Trump spoke with him by phone early Saturday evening, just hours before he passed. Trump said he sounded a bit tired, but otherwise “perfect.”
Graham’s close ties to Trump earned him a reputation in Congress as the “Trump whisperer,” Schiff said. “If we wanted to know what the president's thinking was, or how he might be moved on something, you would go to Lindsey to discuss it,” he said.
Graham, a 2016 presidential candidate, passed away Saturday evening “from a brief and sudden illness,” his office said in a statement.
Trump ordered American flags to be lowered to half-staff until July 18 at 6 p.m. EST. Details on memorial plans weren’t available as of Sunday late afternoon.
Ag looms large as farmers head to Capitol Hill
Corey Lavinsky, vice president of renewables policy at Calumet’s Montana Renewables, recalled Graham’s strong support for the U.S. ethanol mandate under the Renewable Fuel Standard law.
“At the 2015 Iowa Ag Summit, he delivered this memorable line on #ethanol and energy security: ‘Every gallon of ethanol you can produce here in Iowa is one less gallon you have to buy from people who hate your guts,’” Lavinsky posted on social media.
Ethanol is among top agriculture issues that farmers and biofuel producers will be talking with lawmakers about this week as they gather on Capitol Hill.
Members of the National Corn Growers Association, the American Soybean Association and Renewable Fuels Association are holding Washington “fly-ins” later in the week. A major push is for Congress to pass a bill that would allow year-round, voluntary national sales of higher ethanol fuel blends, known as E15.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has said he’s working to get E15 legislation on the floor for a vote. A bill passed by the House in May is widely seen as a non-starter in the Senate, in part due to the chamber’s higher vote threshold. The House bill included a controversial provision involving oil refiners, separate from the actual E15 language.
Also raising hopes for E15 passage is Trump calling for E15 to be added to a supplemental military funding bill.
“That sent a strong signal to the Senate that the president is very serious about getting this done,” RFA CEO Geoff Cooper told Agri-Pulse. “We do expect that conversations and debate around a supplemental funding package will continue in the near term.”
Cooper hopes the Senate can pass E15 legislation before a five-week recess starting Aug. 8. After that, the Senate and House are in session for three weeks and then break again for almost all of October and the first week of November, to allow lawmakers to campaign ahead of the midterm elections on Nov. 3
Along with E15, Trump is pushing for a supplemental bill to include about $11 billion in additional financial aid to farmers struggling with high production costs. The attempt to get more funds to farmers by the fall and in time for them to make investment decisions ahead of next season, has been a major goal of farm state lawmakers for months.
The death of Graham, along with the hospitalization of Sen. Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican and member of the Agriculture Committee, narrows an already slim GOP margin over Democrats in the Senate.
How that impacts a supplemental package and key farm policy remains to be seen.
Another challenge amid the legislative calendar crunch is Senate Agriculture Chairman John Boozman’s goal of passing a proposed farm bill out of his committee before August recess.
The prospects of doing so likely depend on whether Republicans and Democrats can strike a deal around new state cost requirements under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, a source of fierce partisan debate.
Both the House and Senate are scheduled to reconvene on Monday.
Here is a list of agriculture or rural-related events scheduled for this week in Washington and elsewhere (all times EST):
Monday, July 13
The Renewable Fuels Association holds its annual board meeting and Capitol Hill Day in Washington, through Wednesday.
The 100th annual Southwestern Fertilizer Conference & Centennial Anniversary Celebration in New Orleans, through Thursday.
AmericanHort holds Cultivate ’26 in Columbus, Ohio, through Tuesday.
The Institute of Food Technologists holds FT First, a food science and innovation expo, Chicago, through Wednesday.
Cattle industry summer business meetings in Aurora, Colorado, through Tuesday.
10 a.m. – China and Section 301 investigations are the focus of an online event hosted by the Center for Strategic & International Studies.
4 p.m. – USDA crop progress report.
Tuesday, July 14
The American Soybean Association holds a board meeting.
The Organic Produce Summit is held in Monterey, California, through Thursday.
10 a.m. – Strategic Rethink: Congress Versus the President on US Trade Policy is hosted by AEI.
10 a.m. – The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee considers a rewrite of H.R. 9497, the Water Resources Development Act, 2167 Rayburn.
2 p.m. – House Foreign Affairs’ subcommittees hold a joint hearing, More Bang for the Buck: Aligning Commercial Diplomacy Between State and Commerce, 2172 Rayburn.
2 p.m. -- The House Oversight Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Energy Policy, and Regulatory Affairs holds a roundtable, “Winning the Economic Competition with China: Working Families, the AI Race, and Energy,” Rayburn 2154.
3 p.m. USDA issues outlooks for wheat, cotton and wool, oil crops, feed, rice.
Wednesday, July 15
8 a.m. – The National Corn Growers Association holds a “Corn Congress” in Washington.
Farmer members of the American Soybean Association hold meetings on Capitol Hill as part of the group’s Washington Fly-In.
10 a.m. – The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee meets to consider the Water Resources Development Act, and the nomination of Kevin Lilly to be assistant secretary for Fish and Wildlife, 406 Dirksen.
10 a.m. – The House Foreign Affairs Committee holds a hearing, Ending Supply Chain Dependency: Aligning Tools, Capital, and Partnerships, 2172 Rayburn.
3 p.m. – USDA report on chemical usage on fruits.
Thursday, July 16
National Corn Grower Association members hold meetings on Capitol Hill as part of the group’s Washington Fly-In.
8:30 p.m. – USDA weekly export sales.
Friday, July 17
Former U.S. Trade Representative Bob Lighthizer delivers a keynote address at the Iowa Farm Bureau’s Economic Summit in Ankeny, Iowa. See full agenda here.
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