Gov. González-Colón follows President Trump’s national order, citing Graham’s role in disaster recovery and national security matters affecting the island.
Gov. Jenniffer González-Colón ordered that both the United States and Puerto Rico flags fly at half-mast at all public facilities on the island Monday, following President Donald Trump’s order to lower the U.S. flag nationwide after the death of Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.
Graham, 71, died Saturday night at George Washington University Hospital, hours after returning from a trip to Ukraine. His office attributed the death to a “brief and sudden illness”; the District of Columbia medical examiner’s preliminary findings point to an aortic dissection linked to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Graham was chairman of the Senate Budget Committee and was in the midst of a campaign for a fifth six-year term in November.
González-Colón, who served alongside Graham during her own time in Congress as Puerto Rico’s resident commissioner, framed his death as the loss of a lawmaker who worked across the aisle on issues with direct consequences for the island.
“During my time in Congress, Senator Graham was a very valuable colleague on issues affecting our national security, disaster recovery and the wellbeing of those who serve in the armed forces,” González-Colón said in a written statement. “While we respectfully disagreed on Puerto Rico’s political status, we found common ground on many issues important to the Puerto Rican people, Hispanic communities and our nation. After 33 years in elected office, Senator Graham always showed a willingness to dialogue, listen and work with both parties. Rest in peace, senator.”
Trump, who called Graham “one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known” and “a true American Patriot,” ordered flags lowered across the country as a mark of national mourning — an order the governor’s office followed for Monday, July 13, at public buildings across Puerto Rico.
Graham’s death removes a senior Republican voice from budget negotiations at a moment when federal disaster-recovery funding and Medicaid financing remain live issues for Puerto Rico. As Budget Committee chairman, Graham held direct sway over the appropriations and reconciliation processes the island’s government depends on for hurricane recovery dollars and health-care funding — even as he and successive Puerto Rico administrations remained at odds over statehood. His seat, and the committee gavel that came with it, will now be a point of attention in Washington as the Senate sorts out succession heading into the November midterms.
