U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham
United States Senator, South Carolina
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Issues Across the Palmetto State






Remarks On The Retirement of Senator DeMint

Posted by Tate, Deputy Communications Director

12/06/2012 2:16:00 PM

I Oppose President Obama's Plan to Raise the Debt Ceiling

by Senator Lindsey Graham

12/05/2012 2:22:00 PM

Mr. President, I will not support increasing the debt limit until we address why we’re in debt.

I will never vote to raise the debt ceiling unless we produce real structural reforms to save Medicare and Social Security from bankruptcy and prevent our country from becoming Greece.  It is now time for you to demonstrate leadership and embrace big ideas in a bipartisan way.

America is on an unsustainable path. To continue borrowing money without addressing our entitlement problems is irresponsible

On the Passing of Peatsy Hollings

by Senator Lindsey Graham

10/15/2012 12:09:00 PM

South Carolina has lost one of her finest with the passing of Peatsy Hollings. She was an incredible person and exhibited class and grace throughout her long and successful life. From her service as an educator to her tireless advocacy for those in need, Mrs. Hollings was a great role model. My thoughts and prayers go out to Senator Hollings and their entire family. She will be sorely missed.

On Closure of Cold War Era Tank Closures at SRS

by Senator Lindsey Graham

10/01/2012 3:20:00 PM

The closure of Tanks 18 and 19 at Savannah River Site (SRS) is a proud accomplishment for the Site and Department of Energy (DOE).  This milestone is a great tribute to the SRS workforce and a step forward in the cleanup process.

 

Eight years ago, I authored a provision in the United States Senate permitting DOE to clean up and close forty-nine, one-million gallon tanks at the Site.  The measure passed by a single vote and was later signed into law by President Bush.   This common-sense decision was good for the taxpayer saving billions of dollars and good for our environment.

 

The future is bright at SRS with the MOX facility, but we must contain costs.  The Salt Waste Processing Facility (SWPF), which is key to future tank closures, is behind schedule and over budget.  This problem must be solved.  My vision for SRS in the 21st century is to make sure we continue to contribute to our national security and nuclear deterrent force through the MOX program and SRS National Lab.

 

Thank you to Senators DeMint, Chambliss and Isakson, as well as the members of the congressional delegation especially Wilson, Duncan and Clyburn, and the local community for the support.   Hopefully, what we have done at Savannah River Site will be the model for cleanup throughout the country.

White House Announcement on Charleston Harbor Deepening

by Senator Lindsey Graham

07/18/2012 8:43:00 PM

This is very good news and a recognition the rest of the country now understands what we’ve known all along -- Charleston Harbor deepening is a critical project for our state, region, and national economy.  It is a vital economic engine which must be deepened so it can handle 24/7 the new, larger post-Panamax ships coming online.

 

Two years ago we were fighting hard for a $150,000 appropriation to keep the Charleston Port study alive and we were seemingly dead in the water.  Turning it around has truly been a South Carolina team effort. Everyone has played a role from the local, state and federal level and shows what can happen when you work together.

 

I want to thank Governor Haley for her work in helping push Charleston’s case forward and creating a new, national vision for ports.  She continually brought this issue up in her meetings with President Obama and Vice President Biden.  She helped ensure this critical project was on their radar.

 

I also want to thank Charleston Mayor Joe Riley who has taken the time and effort to personally make the case to President Obama.  Congressman Clyburn has used his influence to push this project forward and all the members of our congressional delegation - Tim Scott, Joe Wilson, Jeff Duncan, Trey Gowdy, and Mick Mulvaney - have stressed to our congressional leaders the importance of the Charleston port.

 

I also want to thank my Senate colleague Jim DeMint.  In two years we have gone from a more parochial view of port deepening, where each state looked after their own interests, to one in which we are moving toward a more national vision for ports.  In a post-earmarking environment, we have been able to prove to the Corps of Engineers, White House, and everyone with any stake in the matter, that Charleston Harbor deepening is a worthy project critical to our economy.

 

Today’s news is a strong step in the right direction and I appreciate the Obama Administration for making this happen but there remains more work to be done.  I have been and will continue working with my congressional colleagues to help create a merit-based, national vision to deal with port expansion and modernization. There is beginning to emerge a roadmap which will be beneficial to Charleston and the nation as a whole.  And let it be known the catalyst for the whole debate was Charleston Harbor deepening.

 

I Am Pleased The House Reauthorized Ex-Im Bank

By U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham

05/09/2012 10:32:00 PM

I'm very pleased the House of Representatives authorized Ex-Im Bank for another three years. Ex-Im allows American manufacturers to compete on a level playing field when it comes to selling their products overseas. Ex-Im benefits both large and small businesses and is available when regular financing is difficult to secure.

 

Eighty percent of the Boeing 787s produced in North Charleston will be sold to companies who are eligible for and routinely use Ex-Im financing. Boeing's competitor, Airbus, relies on three export-import banks located in France to help sell their airplanes to international customers.

 

One-third of the General Electric gas turbines produced in Greenville sold overseas use Ex-Im financing. In the case of Boeing and General Electric, the availability of Ex-Im financing is the difference between staying viable in South Carolina or dramatically reducing their business. Simply put, for South Carolina businesses like these to be successful in the international marketplace, Ex-Im has to be reauthorized.

 

I appreciate my House colleagues who voted to reauthorize the bank. The legislation they supported overhauls the bank's operations and helps ensure Ex-Im adheres to sound business practices. Over the last five years the bank has made more than $3.4 billion for the federal treasury above and beyond the costs of its operations.

 

I also respect those who chose a different path and voted against reauthorization. I believe American companies could compete and thrive in a world without Ex-Im Banks and this would be the ideal outcome. However, that world does not exist today.

 

Competitor nations have Ex-Im Banks far larger and more aggressive than ours. China's export bank is larger than many European nations combined. Canada, one-tenth the population of the United States has an Ex-Im Bank that is three times as large as the United States.

 

Like Ronald Reagan, I believe in ‘Trust but Verify.' But I see no evidence that competitor nations like China are getting out of the Ex-Im business and I cannot, in good conscience, support unilateral disarmament. In fact, I know if we unilaterally disarm they would only seek to increase their advantage. 

 

In the Senate, I will enthusiastically support the House-passed legislation as I do not believe the United States can or should unilaterally disarm.

I Voted Against the Senate Transportation Bill

By Senator Lindsey Graham

03/14/2012 7:54:00 PM

The American people, in both their private and business lives, have to live within a budget.  Congress should do the same.  Overall, the transportation bill which passed the Senate today did not meet that standard. It also missed opportunities to expand offshore drilling and pave the way for construction and eventual operation of the Keystone pipeline.

Seven months ago, the Budget Control Act (BCA) set spending levels, which were modest at best, to control spending.   Today, the Senate transportation bill violated those spending levels. And efforts to bring the bill back into balance, like the amendments offered by Senators Corker and DeMint, failed.

I’m confident the House of Representatives will not accept the Senate legislation passed today.  I am hopeful the House will bring the bill back into balance.  If they are able to accomplish that goal, I will support the final legislation.

Graham Legislation Provides 'Rebate' to Consumers, Utilities, and Communities for Obama Administration's Refusal to Open Yucca Mountain

Posted by Tate, Press Assistant

03/12/2012 9:26:00 AM

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), one of the strongest supporters of nuclear energy in the Senate, has introduced legislation, The Nuclear Waste Fund Relief and Rebate Act.

 

Electric utilities have been paying into the Nuclear Waste Trust Fund to construct and operate a permanent federal nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada.  The utilities have been charging their costumers a monthly fee in each electricity bill to make these payments.  According to the latest information, South Carolina residents alone have already contributed more than $1.3 billion to the fund, which has collected a total of more than $35 billion in fees.

 

The legislation introduced by Graham would rebate these monies back to electric utilities and consumers.  Seventy-five percent of the amount rebated to utilities would be returned to their customers and the remaining portion will be used to make upgrades to on-site storage facilities.

 

Additionally, the legislation authorizes payments to states currently housing defense nuclear waste scheduled to be transferred to Yucca Mountain.  These payments begin in 2017, the date in which Yucca Mountain was to set to receive shipments of defense nuclear waste.

 

“No one should be required to pay for an empty hole in the Nevada desert,” said Graham.  “The decision by the Obama Administration to close Yucca Mountain was ill-advised and leaves our nation without a disposal plan for spent nuclear fuel or Cold War waste.  It was a political, not scientific, decision.  It is incumbent on the Administration to come up with a disposal plan for this real problem facing our nation.”

 

The major provisions of the Graham legislation include:   
  • Presidential Certification:  The Department of Energy has spent billions of dollars and decades studying the suitability of Yucca Mountain as the nation’s repository for spent nuclear fuel and defense waste.  Consistently, the science has borne out that Yucca Mountain is the best site to dispose of nuclear waste.  Within 30 days of passage, the President must certify that Yucca Mountain remains the preferred choice to serve as the federal repository for spent nuclear fuel and defense-related nuclear waste.
  • Failure to Certify Leads to Rebates:  If the President fails to make the above certification, or revokes the certification at a later date, all funds currently in the Nuclear Waste Trust Fund shall be rebated back to the utilities.  Seventy-five percent of the amount rebated to utilities would be returned to their customers and the remaining money will be used to make security and storage upgrades at existing nuclear power plants.
  • Defense Waste:  Currently, there is at least 12,800 metric tons of defense-related waste at nuclear weapons complex facilities around the country.  Unlike commercial spent fuel, this waste has no potential future defense or civilian uses.  In many states, the accumulated waste poses the largest potential public health threat.  In order to help mitigate the risk associated with the indefinite storage of defense waste, the legislation authorizes payments of up to $100 million per year if defense waste has not begun to have left the states by 2017.
  • Waste Confidence:  In order to continue to renew or issue licenses for civilian nuclear power plants, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) must have reasonable confidence that the waste will be disposed of safely.  The legislation includes waste confidence language that allows for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to continue to license nuclear reactors in the event the Presidential certification is not made.  

“Our nation needs real options as a result of the uncertainty created by the Obama Administration’s change in policy,” said Graham.  “I will push this legislation forward and hope to have the full Senate on-the-record on this important issue.”

 

Co-sponsors of the legislation include Senators Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina), John McCain (R-Arizona), Saxby Chambliss (R-Georgia), and Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin).

 

######

On ABC 'This Week'

Posted by Tate, Press Assistant

03/11/2012 10:41:00 AM

I Oppose Obamacare Mandates Which Violate Religious Freedom

By Senator Lindsey Graham

02/09/2012 11:28:00 AM

The Obama Administration’s insistence that religious organizations violate their beliefs will be rejected by the American people.  Religious organizations should not be required to provide health care services that violate the pillars of their faith.  When it comes to Obamacare, this type of overreach continues to leave a bad taste in the mouths of the American people.

 

The Supreme Court recently held 9-0 that religious organizations can adopt hiring practices consistent with their religious tenets.  I’m confident that Congress will ultimately overrule Secretary Sebelius’s decision.

Charleston Deepening Project to Receive $2.5 Million to Continue Study

By Senator Lindsey Graham

02/08/2012 2:04:00 PM

I am pleased the work plan today released by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers set aside $2.5 million to continue the on-going study to deepen Charleston Harbor.  The federal share is matched by an equal contribution from the South Carolina State Ports Authority.

 

This is the most significant federal contribution made thus far to the Charleston Harbor deepening effort.  It is a significant victory given the fact President Obama’s budget for Fiscal Year 2012 had nothing allocated for Charleston.

 

As a result of language we were able to include in last year’s spending bill, Charleston was eligible to receive funding to continue its deepening study.  These funds are being awarded under a more merit-based system. We have always known that Charleston will fare well under that standard as harbor deepening is a worthwhile investment.

 

Today, about one out of every five jobs in South Carolina is tied – directly and indirectly – to the operation of the Port.  Deepening the port will allow us to keep these jobs in our state and also create more jobs in the future.

 

President Obama will release his Fiscal Year 2013 budget next week and I am hopeful funds to deepen Charleston Harbor will be included.  I continue to work with the Army Corps of Engineers and South Carolina State Ports Authority to explore avenues to help expedite the harbor deepening project from its estimated 2024 completion date.

 

Deepening Charleston Harbor is the number-one issue for South Carolina’s economy.  The Port of Charleston is our economic gateway to the world.  We have to ensure the harbor deepening process moves forward in an efficient and cost-effective manner.  This is good news we’ll celebrate today, but we know the President’s budget release early next week is yet another important step in the process.

On President Obama's Decision to Reject the Keystone Pipeline

By Senator Lindsey Graham

01/18/2012 3:19:00 PM

I am deeply disappointed in President Obama’s decision to reject the Keystone Pipeline.  Today’s decision ensures that we will continue to be dependent on oil from the Middle East and Venezuela indefinitely.  Today the President not only rejected the pipeline, but he rejected the thousands of “shovel-ready” jobs that come along with the pipeline’s construction.

Canada will continue to develop the oil sands, only instead of selling us the oil, they will send it to China.

The benefits of the pipeline are clear.  Well over 1,000 American companies supply goods and services to Canadian oil sands and pipeline companies and the ripple effects are creating employment in numerous other industries.  Keystone XL is expected to create 20,000 direct jobs during construction and 118,000 indirect and spinoff jobs. It will also contribute $20 billion of economic stimulus to the United States during construction.  Every state will benefit economically from this activity.

Beginning the construction of the Keystone pipeline while Nebraska decides on routing is the smart decision. Construction should begin without further delay.


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