Senate Budget Committee Chair Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a long-standing foreign policy hawk who became a close ally of President Donald Trump during his final years, has died at 71 “from a brief and sudden illness,” according to his office.  

Graham, who was first elected to represent South Carolina in the Senate in 2002 after spending four terms in the House, has played a key role in pushing legislation that advances the second Trump administration’s agenda across the finish line. 

His family “appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period,” the statement continued.

A foreign policy hawk, Graham, who was seeking a fifth term in November, spent many of his last days in Congress emphasizing the importance of the Trump administration’s actions in the Middle East. Graham’s death also comes after a recent visit to Ukraine, where he spoke with president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune was among the first to respond to the news overnight.

“As South Carolina’s senior senator, Lindsey fought passionately for the Palmetto State. He was a trusted adviser and colleague to me and many others, and numerous presidents and heads of state have relied on his counsel. His influence on the federal judiciary, our national defense, and his beloved South Carolina will be felt for generations,” the South Dakota Republican posted on X.

A retired Air Force Reserve colonel, Graham was initially known for his bipartisan streak and has long been known for his friendship with the late Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain. 

Graham was among a handful of Republicans who crossed party lines to back Supreme Court nominees put forth by both parties. During President Barack Obama’s administration, for example, he endorsed Supreme Court nominees Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor.

In 2013, Graham was also a part of a bipartisan “Gang of Eight” who sought to develop the groundwork for comprehensive immigration reform. And nearly a decade before that, he was a member of the “Gang of 14” — a group of bipartisan senators who agreed in 2005 to keep intact Senate filibuster rules on judicial nominees.

Graham launched a long-shot bid for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination that included sharp criticism of Trump – but the former opponents have been on the same page in the years since, with Graham serving as a key ally of Trump’s in the Senate.

In recent years, he has pressed Democrats on issues ranging from the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh to the implementation of the Trump administration’s immigration agenda. 

Graham was originally slated to assume the top post on the Senate Judiciary Committee in the 120th Congress after Sen. Charles E. Grassley, the most senior lawmaker in the Senate, was poised to reclaim the top Republican slot on the Budget Committee due to GOP term limits. 

However, with Graham’s death and the pending departure of Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, the most senior Republican on the Judiciary panel is poised to be the firebrand Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah.

Graham’s death also impacts the prospect of a potential third budget reconciliation package in the 119th Congress. It comes as speculation lingers on the health of former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. McConnell was hospitalized June 14 for unspecified health issues. ​​

Graham had long been an advocate for a third attempt at a party-line reconciliation bill, but the prospects of such a package are dwindling as lawmakers face a shortened timeline to advance must-pass legislation like appropriations bills and the National Defense Authorization Act.

Graham defeated five Republican candidates in the South Carolina GOP primary last month and was to face Democrat Annie Andrews in November.

In a statement, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said he was “devastated.

“Lindsey Graham is irreplaceable,” he said.

Under South Carolina law, McMaster can immediately fill the vacancy for the remainder of his term.