Blog
Feb 18 2015
Statement by Senators Graham and McCain on the Fall of Debaltseve to Russian-Backed Separists
Contact: Kevin Bishop (864) 250-1417 or Lorcan Connick (202) 224-5972
Feb 12 2015
Armed Services Committee Passes Legislation to Restrict Transfer of Guantanamo Detainees
Contact: Kevin Bishop (864) 250-1417 or Lorcan Connick (202) 224-5972
The legislation passed through the Senate Armed Services Committee by a vote of 14-12.
"In light of the Taliban 5 and other provocative releases made by the Obama Administration, it's only appropriate that we call a time-out," said Graham. "The Obama Administration seems more concerned about fulfilling their campaign promise to close Gitmo than protecting our national security. Now is not the time to be sending radical Islamic terror groups reinforcements from Gitmo."
Feb 12 2015
Armed Services Committee Passes Legislation to Restrict Transfer of Guantanamo Detainees
Contact: Kevin Bishop (864) 250-1417 or Lorcan Connick (202) 224-5972
Feb 11 2015
Graham on Closing the United States Embassy in Yemen
Contact: Kevin Bishop (864) 250-1417 or Lorcan Connick (202) 224-5972
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today made this statement on news the United States is closing our embassy in Yemen and evacuating diplomats from the country.
Graham is the Chairman of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Subcommittee which has oversight over State Department operations.
Graham said:
"It's long been clear Yemen was not the ‘success story' that President Obama once claimed it to be. Today's news is an unfortunate, yet totally predictable, development which confirms that fact. Given the deteriorating security situation in Yemen, the State Department was left with no alternative but to withdraw American diplomats from the country and close our embassy.
"Yemen has been of strategic importance to the United States, and I fear these latest developments will create a vacuum that will ultimately benefit al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). AQAP is a committed enemy of the United States and is believed to have been responsible for the recent terror attacks in Paris. AQAP continues to harbor a burning desire to attack the United States, and we must remain vigilant in protecting ourselves from them.
"Finally, our nation continues to be weakened by the Obama Administration's lack of an overall strategy to deal with the threat posed by radical Islam. Yemen is but the latest, yet I fear probably not the last, example of President Obama's failing foreign policy.
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Feb 09 2015
Graham on Ukraine and Defensive Weapons
Contact: Kevin Bishop (864) 250-1417 or Lorcan Connick (202) 224-5972
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today made this statement on President Obama's reluctance to provide defensive weapons to Ukraine.
"President Obama's continual weakness in the face of aggression is making the world a more dangerous place. His reluctance to provide defensive weapons - which Ukraine desperately needs to protect themselves against Russian intervention - is another low point in a presidency which has many to choose from.
"In the Budapest Memorandum, Ukraine agreed to relinquish its nuclear arsenal while Russia, the United States, and the United Kingdom pledged to respect the independence and sovereignty of Ukraine's borders. But this latest episode once again shows that under President Obama's leadership it is better to be America's enemy than her friend. It's a sad fact that our enemies are seldom challenged while our friends are constantly undercut and abandoned.
"The Ukrainian people do not have time for President Obama's "strategic patience." It is time for President Obama to quit equivocating and quickly provide Ukraine the defensive weapons it needs."
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Jan 29 2015
Graham Backs Keystone XL Pipeline
Contact: Kevin Bishop (864) 250-1417 or Lorcan Connick (202) 224-5972
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today made this statement after voting in support of constructing the Keystone XL pipeline.
"I was proud to vote today in support of the Keystone XL pipeline.
"I was one of the first members of the United States Senate to visit the Canadian oil sands to see first-hand how this resource could benefit our country. The choice is simple - build the pipeline, create jobs in the United States, and lessen our dependence on oil from the Middle East. We need oil and Canada has the means to deliver it to us. There's nothing more common-sense than expanding our long-standing, mutually beneficial relationship with Canada.
"The fate of Keystone XL is in President Obama's hands. If he rejects the pipeline it will be one of the most short-sighted decisions in memory."
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