
U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) has had a somewhat tumultuous political relationship with former President Donald Trump, having endorsed his 2024 presidential bid early on in the primary election season but subsequently voicing opposition on certain issues.
Most recently, the senator offered a disapproving assessment of Trump’s misreported position on congressional efforts to pass legislation ostensibly aimed at increasing border security amid a record level of illegal immigration.
Trump joined a number of GOP officials — including Graham — who opposed a bipartisan Senate deal that would have provided some relief for the U.S.-Mexico border but tied the funding to billions of dollars in foreign aid.
"The Senate negotiated bill was not the answer.
"It would have actually codified and mandated the continuation of catch and release on a similar scale and would have provided nearly $7 billion in funding for it."
Witness knocks over Democrats' flimsy border arguments and… pic.twitter.com/l8p6dmRzeN
— Oversight Committee (@GOPoversight) February 15, 2024
Nevertheless, the South Carolina Republican emphasized his support for a narrower bill during a recent CBS News interview, describing Trump’s stance on the issue as irresponsible — Graham apparently believes President Joe Biden will sign a bill that actually secures the border.
“President Trump says let’s wait on the border,” Graham complained. “With all due respect, we cannot wait. It’s a national security nightmare.”
As for the legislation for which Graham is currently advocating, it emerged as the House of Representatives response to the failed Senate package and included a reimplementation of a Trump-era policy that required asylum seekers to remain on the Mexican side of the border as their cases are being adjudicated.
The $66 billion proposal also included foreign aid funding that would benefit, among other countries, Ukraine and Israel. Graham has been adamant about expediting funding to these nations, and this may explain his sudden push for inadequate measures that would not stop the flow of illegal migrants into the U.S., rather than wait for different leadership that will sign a more effective bill.
“I don’t want to wait,” Graham asserted. “I want to act now. I want to turn the aid package into a loan; that makes perfect sense to me.”
He went on to describe the compromise as a “winning combination” that could garner the support of the former president.
“I feel very optimistic after having been on the phone all weekend talking to my House colleagues that there’s a way forward on the border and Ukraine,” the senator added.
Trump’s opposition to the earlier Senate proposal echoed that of many conservative lawmakers who saw it as an opportunity for Democrats to secure a host of spending priorities that would not have otherwise passed in the narrowly divided Congress.
“The ridiculous ‘Border’ Bill is nothing more than a highly sophisticated trap for Republicans to assume the blame on what the Radical Left Democrats have done to our Border, just in time for our most important EVER Election,” he wrote in a social media post. “Don’t fall for it!!!”