Graham’s Death, McConnell’s Absence May Doom Senate Priorities

South Carolina’s Republican Governor Henry McMaster on Monday appointed Graham’s sister, Darline Graham Nordone, to serve the remainder of Graham’s term, soon after Trump publicly endorsed the idea. She is expected to be sworn in on Wednesday, though Senate Republicans still need to fill Graham’s committee assignments.

Still, the absence of Graham and McConnell threatens to complicate committee work and floor action at a moment when time is already scarce.

Graham, one of Trump’s closest allies in Congress and among the Senate’s most influential voices on national security and foreign policy, died Saturday after suffering an aortic dissection, a tear in the wall of the body’s largest artery, according to a preliminary finding released by the District of Columbia medical examiner. His office said additional testing would determine whether any contributing factors played a role.

McConnell announced Sunday that he remains unable to return after being hospitalized in June following a fall. The former Republican leader disclosed for the first time that he had briefly lost consciousness, later developed pneumonia, and is recovering at a rehabilitation facility. Doctors have advised him against returning to the Senate for now, though he said he intends to come back as soon as he is able.