U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) has followed through on his commitment to donate his government paycheck for the duration of the recent federal funding lapse to a veterans organization in South Carolina. On Veterans Day, Graham visited Greenville to present his donation to Upstate Warrior Solution (UWS), a non-profit based in Greenville that offers community support and services to veterans and their families in the state.
During the event, Graham commended UWS for its work, stating, “I travel a lot in South Carolina and throughout the country, [and] I’ve never seen a place quite like this. … This is a special place. Those who had this idea, this vision [of a] one stop shop for veterans, well done.”
Graham also reflected on the significance of Veterans Day: “Nothing in our lives that is positive could happen without those willing to serve our country in very dangerous circumstances. People would take our freedom away from us if they could… The only thing between our freedom and people taking it away are the men and women in uniform.”
In addition to his donation, Graham highlighted legislation he has introduced aimed at holding Members of Congress accountable during government shutdowns. He said, “I really do believe there would less government shutdowns if we had to forfeit our pay. I’ve [introduced] a constitutional amendment that I’m going to get a vote on and make everybody else do what I just did: give their pay up when the government shuts down.”
