Graham says he’d ‘leave town’ to stop $3.5T spending plan

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) in a Sunday interview said he’d be willing to mimic the actions of Texas Democrats and “leave town” to prevent Democrats in Congress from passing their $3.5 trillion reconciliation package. 

“I would leave before I would let that happen,” the senator told anchor Maria Bartiromo on “Sunday Morning Futures.” 

“So, to my Republican colleagues, we may learn something from our Democratic friends in Texas when it comes to avoiding a $3.5 trillion tax-and-spend package: Leave town,” he continued.

Texas Democrats left the state last week for Washington, D.C., to prevent a vote on a measure to impose more restrictive voting laws in the state.

“Hell yeah I would leave,” Graham said in discussing the reconciliation package. “I’m not — I will use everything lawfully in my toolbox to prevent rampant inflation.”

Democrats unveiled a $3.5 trillion plan last week that they expect to pass as a budget resolution and then turn into a reconciliation package that under Senate budgetary rules can move through the upper chamber without being filibustered.

Democrats would not be able to afford a single defection from their Senate caucus, but the GOP could not stop the measure if the Democrats stick together.

Republicans have blasted the proposal, and Graham, who supports a separate bipartisan infrastructure proposal that could cost more than $1 trillion, said he was willing to pull out all the stops to defeat it.

Republicans used the same budget rules in the Trump presidency to pass the tax cut bill. 

Graham argues the increased spending in the bills would contribute to inflation.