South-Carolina
Here’s what South Carolina politicians, parties had to say about passage of spending bill
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a sweeping spending plan that sends more money to the border and military while taking funds away from social programs.
The 1,116-page-long package narrowly passed in a 215-214 vote on May 22. President Donald Trump applauded the bill’s passage, which outlines a major restructuring of federal funds that would affect income tax rates, Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
Congressional leaders from South Carolina and Greenville County Democrats and Republicans reacted along party lines to the bill and its potential impacts on South Carolinians.
The bill now heads to the Senate, where it will likely face further amendments. It needs a majority vote to clear the chamber and go to the president’s desk.
Billions in cuts to Medicaid and SNAP benefits
Stacey Mars, the chair of the Greenville County Democratic Party, said the bill’s changes to social services like Medicaid and SNAP will have the biggest impact on Greenville County residents.
“We already have people who are falling through the gap when it comes to healthcare,” Mars said. “Everyone, if you are an American citizen, deserves to have the support from the government.”
Katherine Harvey, the chair of the Spartanburg County Democratic Party, also said she thinks the most concerning part of the bill is the possible Medicaid and SNAP cuts.
“This is a significant impact on a part of our state that is already experiencing health disparities,” Harvey said. “Nobody asked for this. The costs would be devastating.”
The Congressional Budget Office released a preliminary analysis of the effects of the bill on May 20 — which estimates a $698 billion cut to Medicaid and a $267 billion cut to SNAP benefits over the next 10 years.
About 20,800 households in Greenville County, 11,000 in Anderson County, and 17,300 in Spartanburg County receive SNAP benefits as of April, according to the South Carolina Department of Social Services.
The South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services said that 95,000 of Greenville County residents are covered by Medicaid.
South Carolina spent $8.9 billion on Medicaid in 2022, according to KFF — which is a nonprofit that conducts health policy research. The federal government covered 75% of that total.
Republican Rep. William Timmons (SC 4th District) called the legislation a “must-pass bill” that will strengthen the economy. He said that this bill will help better confirm the identities of people applying for benefits – while making sure people who are qualified will stay eligible for Medicaid and SNAP.
“We have to pass this bill,” Timmons said prior to the vote. “The American people voted for it this past November.”
The Greenville County Republican Party chairman said his members would much rather see single bills passed than large spending packages like this one, but understands this is the legislative system America has in place.
“The Greenville County Republican Party is in full support of the TRUMP agenda,” said Jeff Davis, in a statement. “We look forward to the scheduled July 4th signing of this landmark legislation.”
Reverting to 2017 tax rates, removing taxes on tips and overtime
The spending bill would also extend the U.S. tax code that was passed in 2017 during the first Trump administration, which was set to expire at the end of 2025.
The measure reduced federal income tax rates for each of the seven brackets except the lowest quintile and the second-highest quintile. A new provision to the legislation would increase the child tax credit to $2,500 through 2028.
“Extending the tax from 2017 is critical,” Timmons said.
Democratic Rep. Jim Clyburn (SC 6th District) said the benefits of the 2017 tax code change were felt most by wealthier people, not the people in lower income brackets.
“You got the lower 20%, they get a negative result out of this tax cut and the upper 20% get a fantastic result,” Clyburn said. “Why are we putting taxes in such a way that benefits millionaires and billionaires?”
Clyburn joined every other House Democrat and two Republicans in a vote against the bill.
“I think it’s probably one of the worst pieces of legislation I’ve seen since I’ve been in the Congress,” Clyburn said.
No federal tax on tips and overtime
The 2025 budget reconciliation bill also gets rid of federal income taxes on overtime pay and tips, which are two items Trump campaigned on in 2024.
Just under 10% of Greenville metro area workers are employed in the food preparation and service industry, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Only three other occupational areas had more employees: production, office and administrative support, and sales.
“This bill delivers on the clear mandate voters gave us in 2024 — to restore security, sanity, and sovereignty to this country,” Republican Rep. Sheri Biggs (SC 3rd District) said. “It may not be perfect — few things in Washington are — but it delivers big wins for border security, personal freedom, and fiscal responsibility.
South-Carolina
Nancy Mace’s foul-mouthed airport tirades roil race for South Carolina governorship as rival slams ‘spoiled brat’
New disclosures of a foul-mouthed tirade by Rep. Nancy Mace in the Charleston airport have roiled the South Carolina governor’s race and ignited angry accusations between the lawmaker and one of her competitors in the Republican primary.
Her rival, state AG Alan Wilson, called Mace a “spoiled brat” who treats cops like “servants,” at a time when the two of them are furiously competing for support from voters – and President Trump.
Mace back in August called herself “Trump in high heels” and acknowledged “I would really like his support for governor.” So far, Trump hasn’t given it – to anybody.
Mace this week slammed an internal Charleston Airport Authority investigation that probed her profanity-laced “spectacle” Oct. 30, when Mace chewed out police officers and TSA agents over expedited security for her outbound flight, after a planned VIP escort fell through.
New details are still coming to light – including an earlier incident in April where Mace allegedly blew up at agents who wouldn’t let her bring a family member through expedited security, according to the investigation report.
“This is the only airport that gives me s–t,” she complained, according to one of the numerous law enforcement officers interviewed as part of the probe.
The investigative report was obtained by The Post through a public documents request.
One interviewed TSA agent quotes Mace as telling a cop following the botched Oct. 30 escort for her arrival at an airport gate, “I’m sick of your s–t, I’m tired of having to wait.”
Another officer, an explosives tech, described Mace as being “very nasty, very rude.” She said she could hear Mace calling police officers “f–king idiots” and “f–king incompetent” and stating that she was a “f–king representative.”
Yet the airport was “not busy at all” at the time of the incident, the officer said.
A TSA agent said during the interaction Mace “literally was on that phone talking and texting her life away” as well as “saying rude things,” according to the investigative report.
One TSA officer who had been at the airport 23 years told investigators “every VIP or whomever, dignitary, that we’ve been across and had to deal with, we never, never had this problem.”
Mace hired an attorney and threatened weeks ago to sue the airport over the October incident, but has yet to do so.
The report revealed the April confrontation when agents wouldn’t let Mace bring a family member through expedited security. TSA later let her take family members with her when she got screened.
“I thought that the way she acted showed a sense of entitlement – [that] she is entitled to special protection, she is entitled to special treatment. When she doesn’t get special treatment, she throws a tantrum. To me that harkens back to a child not getting their way,” Wilson told The Post in an interview.
“These are public servants, not personal servants,” he said of law enforcement at the airport.
Mace told CNN in an interview this week the report had been “falsified,” without providing evidence. In response to Wilson’s “brat” comment, she wrote: “Imagine being ‘Attorney General’ and flying 500 miles for the sole purpose of dismissing death threats against a single mom.”
She told The Post she has received numerous credible death threats, and said on Friday a judge denied bond to a man accused of making online threats against her. She said during the April incident TSA had violated its own policy allowing federal officials to bring a guest and separated her from her child.
Mace has been taking her case to the airwaves in a week where she trashed the House Republican leadership in a Washington Post op-ed.
A consultant to Mace’s campaign, Austin McCubbin, resigned Dec. 1, accusing her of turning her back on MAGA and trying to “hug the political cactus that is the [Sen.] Rand Paul [and Rep.] Thomas Massie wing of the Party.”
South-Carolina
A Stronger Rail Network Is a Win for South Carolina’s Economy – FITSNews
“The combined rail system would offer the reliability our business community has been asking for…”
by NATHAN BALLENTINE
***
For as long as I’ve served in the South Carolina House, I’ve believed that strong infrastructure is the backbone of a strong economy. Whether talking about roads, bridges, broadband, or freight mobility, our ability to efficiently move people and goods determines how competitive our state will be in the decades ahead. South Carolina continues to grow at one of the fastest rates in the country, and with that growth comes a responsibility to ensure our logistics network can meet the demands of modern commerce.
That is why the proposed merger between Union Pacific (UP) and Norfolk Southern (NS) deserves thoughtful consideration, not just at the national level, but here at home. South Carolina’s economic success is directly tied to reliable freight transportation. From advanced manufacturing in the Upstate, to the distribution and warehousing centers in the Midlands, to the countless businesses that depend on steady supply chains, every region of our state relies on a freight system that works smoothly and predictably.
When freight rail is fragmented across multiple networks, bottlenecks and delays become far more common. Businesses, especially those operating with tight production schedules and narrow delivery windows, feel the impacts immediately. A delayed railcar can throw off inventory planning, disrupt operations, and create ripple effects that stretch across an entire supply chain. These unpredictable slowdowns can be enormously costly for the companies that keep South Carolina’s economy moving.
***
The Union Pacific–Norfolk Southern merger aims to address many of these longstanding challenges. By creating a unified network connecting more than 50,000 miles of track and linking 43 states with over 100 ports nationwide, the combined rail system would offer something our business community has been asking for: reliability. Studies indicate the merger could generate approximately $1 billion in annual cost savings and improve freight-car velocity by around 10 percent. These aren’t abstract figures, they reflect tangible improvements that would strengthen operations for employers, distributors, retailers, and consumers alike.
***
“Economic development teams would also have an even stronger pitch when attracting new employers to South Carolina…”
***
A more dependable rail network means companies can plan with greater precision, suppliers can manage logistics with fewer surprises, and transportation partners can commit to schedules with increased confidence. Economic development teams would also have an even stronger pitch when attracting new employers to South Carolina: not just a skilled workforce and business-friendly climate, but a transportation network capable of supporting long-term growth.
Improved rail performance also benefits South Carolina’s infrastructure more broadly. Rail is one of the most efficient ways to move goods long distances. Every shipment that travels by rail instead of truck reduces congestion on our highways, lowers fuel costs, and decreases wear and tear on roads that taxpayers ultimately fund. Better rail capacity complements, rather than replaces, our ongoing efforts to invest in roads and bridges across the state. It allows us to stretch transportation dollars further and focus on the improvements most needed in fast-growing communities.
Another important factor is competitiveness. States across the Southeast are aggressively investing in logistics infrastructure to position themselves as national leaders in manufacturing and distribution. If South Carolina wants to stay ahead, and continue attracting companies that create stable, high-quality jobs, we must support improvements that strengthen the reliability and efficiency of our freight network. The Union Pacific–Norfolk Southern merger presents an opportunity to do just that.
***
RELATED | SOURCES: S.C. LAWMAKERS THREATEN SUPREME COURT
***
As someone who has spent nearly two decades advocating for responsible, forward-looking growth in our state, I believe that modernizing our freight system is not just a transportation issue, it is an economic necessity. Ensuring that goods can move quickly, safely, and predictably is fundamental to the success of our businesses and the financial well-being of South Carolina families.
Federal regulators will ultimately determine the path forward, and their review should be thorough and transparent. But from where I sit, the potential benefits to our state are clear. A more integrated, efficient rail system will help South Carolina businesses compete, help consumers by keeping costs lower, and help our state maintain the strong economic momentum we’ve built over the past decade.
A stronger rail network means a stronger South Carolina, and that is a future we should fully support.
***
ABOUT THE AUTHOR…

Nathan Ballentine represents the citizens of House District 71 in the S.C. General Assembly.
***
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South-Carolina
LIVE: SC AG Alan Wilson, state, national leaders hold press conference on statewide drug busts
Statehouse Reporter Mary Green will have more on this tonight.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) – South Carolina Attorney General and other officials will be holding a press conference Friday at 9:30 a.m. to talk about statewide drug busts.
Wilson is set to be joined by South Carolina Law Enforcement Division Chief Mark Keel, representatives from the Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security, as well as several local sheriffs and other law enforcement partners.
Watch the full press conference in the video above.
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