The $1 trillion coronavirus relief package is on the verge of being passed in the Senate and will increase medical supplies, stabilize the economy, and get money in the hands of Americans who need it, according to Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.
"Very close, and if we don't do this you should all come up here and kick us in the butt," Graham told Fox News' "Fox & Friends." "Failure is not an option. We're going to pass the bill Monday. It's going to help people who lost their paychecks to get income.
"It's going to help hospitals – who are being overrun – with money to get through this. It's gonna help increase medical supplies and stabilize the economy."
Graham said the U.S. is "fighting a two-front war" amid the global pandemic.
"One is the virus itself; the other is the economy that's been locked down because of containment policies," Graham said.
"We're buying time in this bill," he added. "We're paying for containment, we're trying to lower the infection rate, and here's what I believe: If we did nothing, over two million Americans would die from the virus, half the population would be infected, and you'd have a morality rate of 1% plus.
"If you act decisively and have aggressive containment policies, we stop the infection from spreading until we get therapies and vaccines to kill this damn thing."
Graham said his "No. 1 goal is to go all-in on the healthcare front" to curb the spread "sooner rather than later."
Graham is calling for large corporations to "get loans not grants," alleviating some of the opposition that rejects money going to corporations over American workers.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.