Wes Hickman (202-224-5972) or Kevin Bishop (864-250-1417)

WASHINGTON- U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today voted against the Democratic budget resolution. The measure which lays out a spending plan for the next five years passed 52-47. "The Democrat's budget throws fiscal discipline out the window and shows the country that Democrats live up to their tax and spend stereotype," said Graham. "It increases taxes on the American taxpayer by $700 billion and contains billions in new spending. It also completely ignores the impending crises in Social Security and Medicare." Senate Democrats twice defeated efforts by Graham to provide tax relief to the American people.

• Graham introduced an amendment today that would make permanent the current individual income tax rate structure. Current marginal tax rates are 35, 33, 28 and 25 percent; however, this rate structure will expire December 31, 2010. If allowed to expire, rates will increase to 39.6, 36, 31, and 28 percent. A recent study commissioned by the Small Business Administration found that a one percent increase in marginal tax rates cuts the life span of a small business by 32.5 percent for single filers and 44.8 percent for married filers. The amendment was defeated 52-46.
• Earlier this week, Graham introduced a measure that would have established the Death Tax exemption at $5 million and ensure the rate will be no more than thirty-five percent, extended the lower rates contained in 2001 Bush tax cuts on dividends and capital gains -- a change that would help more than 200,000 taxpayers in South Carolina -- and extended educational tax deductions including deductions for tuition and student loan interest and the $250 teacher classroom expense deduction. The amendment was defeated by a vote of 51-47.

"One of my top priorities this year is for Congress to make the Bush tax cuts permanent," said Graham. "Tax relief has proven to be very beneficial to our nation's economic health. I'm disappointed Senate Democrats have chosen to protect special interests rather than protect the taxpayer and our economy. "We must keep taxes low to keep jobs at home," said Graham. "Although today was a missed opportunity, I hope Congress will soon extend the Bush tax cuts. To do otherwise would be devastating to our economy." Graham did succeed in passing a provision to help protect American manufacturing jobs from unfair trade practices. The Senate unanimously approved an amendment to provide budget authority for an additional $40 million to enforce trade agreements. The International Trade Commission, International Trade Administration, Customs and Border Protection, and the Office of the United States Trade Representative would each receive an additional $10 million. ####

Wes Hickman (202-224-5972) or Kevin Bishop (864-250-1417)

WASHINGTON – Over the past two months, two wildlife habitat conservation projects in South Carolina have received more than $13 million in federal grant money. 

In January, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) announced $8.6 million for the Woodbury Wildlife Management Area and Hamilton Ridge Wildlife Management Area.  Today, he announced these wildlife areas will receive another $5 million in federal grants.  The funds will be used by the state to help purchase the tracts of land.  Both protected areas will be placed in the SCDNR Wildlife Management Area program and will be open to the public for traditional outdoor recreational opportunities such as birding, nature walking, hunting, and fishing. 

“One of South Carolina’s greatest treasures is the natural beauty of our surroundings,” said Graham.  “We have a responsibility to help ensure our state’s natural resources are preserved for the benefit of future generations.  I’m very pleased to see a continued commitment to protecting both of these environmentally significant tracts of land.”

The Forest Legacy Project grants include:

• $2.5 million to purchase the Woodbury Wildlife Management Area.  The Woodbury tract, covering 25,668 acres, will protect 27.5 miles of river frontage along the Great Pee Dee River and 11.5 miles of frontage along the Little Pee Dee River in Marion County.  Graham announced $4.45 million for this project earlier this year.
• $2.5 million to purchase the Hamilton Ridge Wildlife Management Area along the Savannah River in Hampton County.  This tract of 13,281 acres is adjacent to 12,600 acres of South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR)-owned Wildlife Management Areas known as Webb and Palachucola.  Protection of Hamilton Ridge will double the protected acreage in this block and add another 8.5 miles to the existing 5 miles of state-protected frontage on the Savannah River.  Graham announced $4.15 million for this project earlier this year.

The grants announced today were awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service.

####

Wes Hickman (202) 224-5972 or Tara Andringa (Levin) (202)228-3685

WASHINGTON - Sens. Carl Levin, D-Mich., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., made the following statement today regarding their trip to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba on Saturday, March 10, 2007: We were present during the Combatant Status Review Tribunal of Khalid Sheikh Muhammad (KSM) at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. We viewed the proceeding on closed circuit TV in an adjoining room to where the hearing was held. We were able to view the entire procedure. The tribunal consisted of three military officers. The president of the tribunal was a judge advocate. The purpose of the proceeding was to determine if KSM is an enemy combatant under Department of Defense regulations. In addition to the tribunal members and KSM, a personal representative, who was not a lawyer, was present to administratively assist KSM. A recorder and an interpreter were also present. In the course of the proceeding, a lengthy statement was read by the personal representative on KSM's behalf detailing his leadership in planning the 9/11 terrorist attacks, personal involvement in executions, and many other terrorist activities. KSM was asked by the tribunal president if he understood his written statement and whether it was accurate. KSM replied in English that he did. In addition, the tribunal was presented with a written statement from KSM alleging mistreatment during his captivity prior to arriving at Guantanamo. This statement was made a part of the classified record of the proceeding. The panel said that the allegations will be submitted to appropriate authorities. Allegations of prisoner mistreatment must be taken seriously and properly investigated. To do otherwise would reflect poorly on our nation. The tribunal President made an inquiry as to whether the allegations of abuse affected the testimony given to the tribunal. KSM answered in English that his testimony was accurate, truthful, and voluntary. He also provided additional oral statements in English and it seemed clear that he has a good understanding of the English language. The interpreter was used only rarely. We were impressed with the professionalism and demeanor of the tribunal. KSM was given the opportunity to speak freely. He did so in a non-disruptive way and was respectful to the tribunal personnel. The true test of the CSRT process is not a case in which the detainee admits the allegations against him, it is a case in which the detainee disputes those allegations. Judicial review of the tribunals is ongoing. We will continue to review the process and will explore possible ways to improve this process through Congressional action. This case represents an important milestone in the War on Terror. It was apparent to us that KSM wanted to use the tribunal process to detail his role in 9/11 and many other terror plots and to record for history the part he has played in a war that he has unabashedly waged. It was apparent that KSM views himself as a warrior, motivated by religious teachings, and seeks his place in history. ###

MEGYN KENDALL, FOX HOST: If he is telling the truth, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was planning a truly devastating series of attacks when he was arrested back in 2003. According to him, he was plotting to destroy the Empire State Building, the New York Stock Exchange and the Panama Canal. He also says he was trying to kill presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, as well as Pope John Paul II. But can these claims be believed? Republican Senator Lindsey Graham from South Carolina joins us now live from Capitol Hill. Hello, Senator. Thanks for being with us. LINDSEY GRAHAM: Good morning. KENDALL: OK. So here's the first question: Can these claims be believed? GRAHAM: I think we can believe the claim about 9/11. I can assure you that happened, and everybody in America knows it happened and the families know it happened. He listed a long list of terror enterprises that go back over a decade. Yes, I think we can believe that he considers us the enemy, that he considers anyone who disagrees with him religiously the enemy. I think we would be stupid not to believe that we're at war with these people. He is not a criminal; he's a warrior who's committed criminal acts. He should be treated as an enemy combatant, someone who's at war with the United States. And if we don't believe Al Qaida and their agenda, we do so at our own peril. It's time to wake up and realize that we are in a global war. They've been at war with us a lot longer than we've been at war with them, and we need to get with it and win this war. And he's in the right place -- a military prison. He should never be in a federal court or a federal civilian prison. He needs to be in a military court and a military prison. KENDALL: Senator, do you see this -- I mean, if you actually believe that he was planning on committing all of these atrocities, I mean, is this, is this -- what kind of a testament is this to the efforts of U.S. intelligence and anti-terror forces? GRAHAM: The only thing that one would question -- is he trying to embellish his role in Islamic jihadist history. I do believe that the details he's provided us will be corroborated. What it tells us -- that he has been at war with us and the Al Qaida network has been at war with us for a decade. And what did they say will happen next? They want to win in Iraq, drive us not just out of Iraq, but the Mideast; topple every moderate government in the Mideast. Set up a religious theocracy cruel in nature in Baghdad in the Iraq region and eventually destroy Israel. So this should be a wake-up call. We should understand that the intelligence agents who have captured this man, the military members who are detaining him, are doing us a great service; that we need the ability to interrogate in an effective manner people like Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. And they ought to be in a military prison, not a civilian prison. KENDALL: Right. And on that score -- I mean, obviously, these admissions were made in the context of him defending his label of being an enemy combatant, and now the next step is a trial. What now for him? What do you expect is going to happen to Khalid Sheikh Mohammed now? GRAHAM: I think that based on the record that there will be a solid case that he is an enemy combatant, not a common criminal, but somebody who's at war with the United States, who has planed attacks against the United States in a military fashion with a military objective, who operates out of uniform; that the definition of enemy combatant used at Guantanamo Bay fits him to a tee. And the next thing awaiting him would be a war crimes trial, because the activity that he has confessed to is illegal activity under the law of armed conflict. I've been a military lawyer for 20-something years. We're at war, and the body of law we should apply to these people is the law of armed conflict, not domestic criminal law. So I expect him to be tried. KENDALL: It's pretty amazing that somebody like that in the United States of America gets even those rights, right, Senator? Thanks so much for being with us this morning. GRAHAM: Thank you.