GREENVILLE — The government shutdown is disruptive and inconvenient for South Carolinians, Sen. Lindsey Graham said Oct. 6, but the state’s senior senator expects to find a breakthrough with Democrats this week.
“There are more and more Democrats understanding this is not working for them,” the Upstate senator told local reporters in Greenville before flying back to Washington, D.C., where senators are tasked with striking a deal to fund the federal government and end a shutdown that has reverberated across the country.
The shutdown began at midnight Sept. 30 after two proposals failed: one a Democratic measure to extend health care subsidies under the Affordable Care Act and reverse cuts to Medicaid, and a second Republican stopgap funding bill that would’ve kept the government afloat for seven weeks.
The continued closure means work without pay for an undetermined number of law enforcement officers, airport screeners, and men and women in military uniform who will stay on the job in South Carolina.
Social Security benefits will continue uninterrupted, but in-state offices of most of the affected agencies have closed. Most agency and department social media and internet sites went dormant, and National Park Service sites are not operating.
The shutdown has triggered finger-pointing on both sides of the aisle, with Republicans like Graham saying they “won’t be held hostage” to negotiate a health care package that doesn’t expire until December and Democrats saying the issue can’t wait.
“If you want a policy outcome, shutting the government down is not the way to get that policy outcome,” Graham said, adding there are three Democrats who could help get a package passed this week.
To do so, Republicans are looking to the Democratic rank and file instead of leadership like Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., who’ve accused Republicans of being both the driving force behind the shutdown and absent from negotiations.
“It will be the rank and file that do this, not the leaders,” Graham said.
Graham, who chairs the Senate Budget Committee, is running for re-election in 2026. He came to Greenville Oct. 6 to speak at First Monday Club at the Poinsett Club, where he promoted his close relationship with President Donald Trump and took questions from a crowd of local business leaders, candidates and politicians.
Graham highlighted the success of Trump’s 2017 tax cuts and border security funding and advocated for more ICE agents in South Carolina, local law enforcement participation in immigration enforcement and addressing the opioid crisis.
He praised Trump’s foreign policies on Ukraine and China, including tariffs, as well as domestic policy, like health care and drug pricing reforms.
Graham is facing Project 2025 conservative policy blueprint architect Paul Dans and Upstate businessman Mark Lynch in the primary next year. Democrats Annie Andrews — who previously challenged Lowcountry Rep. Nancy Mace — Brandon Brown, Catherine Fleming Bruce and Kyle Freeman are also running in a primary to then challenge him. Graham has Trump’s endorsement in the race.
As he answered a question about term limits, Graham said he leverages his experience to the benefit of the people in the room.
“There’ll come a day when my time is up, and that’s a good thing,” he told the crowd. “All of us do our part while we can. But I’ve never felt better about my ability to represent you in a variety of ways than I do right now. I’ll leave it up to you to see if you agree.”