The sudden death of Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and the mysterious absence of a sickly Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) have thrown the Senate GOP into “chaos” ahead of crucial vote, analysts contend.
It remains unclear whether the senate Republicans will now be able to pursue plans to rush the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act to a vote without the two powerful representatives at hand, Democratic strategist and MS NOW contributor Max Burns argued Sunday.
“Lindsey Graham’s sudden and unexpected death throws into chaos the Senate GOP’s plan,” he wrote on X. ” Without McConnell and Graham they are in a real tight vote situation.”
That’s because opposition from Democrats has been mounting.
Six Democratic senators last week urged colleagues to block the NDAA’s advancement until a provision they believe to be”reckless” can be removed, according to a recent Truthout report.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and five others urged colleagues not to support the U.S.-Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative which would mandate cooperation between the U.S. and Israel militaries and intelligence, according to the report.
“These agreements threaten U.S. national security interests by handing the Netanyahu government leverage over American weapons systems and military technology,” the letter stated. “This is not hypothetical.”
Iran also poses a problem. Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) announced over the weekend he would not vote to approve the NDAA over concerns about the war.
“We haven’t even had an up or down vote to authorize this war in the first place,” Schatz said Saturday. “Trump wants a 50 percent increase at DOD – they expect money without accountability or strategy. I usually vote yes on NDAA but this is an easy call for me.”
With opposition mounting, Senate Republicans needed Graham and McConnell to help them fend off this attack from Democrats, argued political reporter Igor Bobic on Sunday.
“Senate was set to take up the NDAA upon returning from the break,” he wrote. “Will be harder with Graham’s passing and McConnell’s absence amid rising Dem opposition over Iran.”
Last week, Politico reported an already thin margin for Republicans to push military spending.