The people of South Carolina, along with a significant portion of the people in the United States, voted to give Donald Trump a mandate last November: America first. While South Carolina’s roads crumble, its bridges weaken, and its citizens struggle with failing infrastructure, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) seems to have either ignored or overlooked this mandate, ignoring his constituents to grandstand on the world stage.
Recently, Graham, along with Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), traveled to Europe to attend the Munich Security Conference. While there, they met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. During this meeting, the three senators pledged their support for Ukraine in its war against Russia, but none more so than Graham.
Graham has been a strong advocate for providing U.S. taxpayer dollars to support Ukraine in its efforts against Vladimir Putin's Russia. In May 2022, he voted for the Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, which allocated approximately $40 billion in emergency funding for Ukraine. In December 2022, Graham supported the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, which included $44.9 billion in emergency aid for Ukraine. In April 2024, he also voted in favor of a House-authored national security supplemental package that provided an additional $61 billion in aid to Ukraine.
Based on available data, Graham has voted to approve at least $145.9 billion in U.S. aid to Ukraine between May 2022 and April 2024. This total reflects only the major and well-documented votes where Graham's position is clear. It does not include other funding, such as incremental military aid packages and authorizations that do not require direct Senate votes.
Graham even went as far as stating:
You and your people. You’re the ally I’ve been hoping for all of my life. Not one American has died defending Ukraine. You’ve taken our weapons, and you kicked their a**. And I’m very proud to have you as our ally.
The people of South Carolina — U.S. citizens — are seemingly treated as second-class citizens while Graham focuses on geopolitical theatrics. While Graham is preoccupied with his media appearances and travels across Europe, South Carolina’s infrastructure is suffering, receiving below-average ratings that are close to failing.
According to the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) in their 2021 Report Card, South Carolina's roadway infrastructure received a grade of "D." More than 50% of the state's roads are in poor condition. The White House estimated that each driver pays approximately $625 annually due to road disrepair, while ASCE estimated the cost to be around $564 per year. Furthermore, South Carolina has the highest traffic fatality rate in the United States, at 1.72 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (VMT). Rural roads are particularly dangerous, with a fatality rate of 3.46 deaths per 100 million VMT in 2019.
That same ASCE report gave South Carolina’s bridges a grade of "C". As of June 2024, 6.2% of the state’s bridges were classified as structurally deficient. Additionally, the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) reports that approximately 30% of the state's 8,400 bridges are at least 60 years old, with many not designed to accommodate modern traffic loads. SCDOT estimates that without increased investment, 3,900 bridges will reach the age of 60 or older by 2035.
And that’s just the tip of the degraded iceberg. South Carolina has over 2,200 dams, which received a grade of "D," indicating critical weaknesses that have led to numerous failures, especially during severe weather events. The drinking water infrastructure was rated at a "D+" due to aging systems and a growing population. Wastewater management in South Carolina received a grade of "D," reflecting underinvestment and increased demand from population growth. Additionally, both the aviation and transit sectors received "D+" grades, with aviation struggling with capacity issues and transit facing limitations in funding and coverage. And I won’t even address the issue of internet coverage for rural South Carolinians.
With all these infrastructure issues facing the people of South Carolina, one of the state’s senators, Lindsay Graham, appears more concerned about the Ukrainian people and their war than serving the people of his state, an obligation mandated by his position.
Evidently, Graham didn’t get the memo.
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