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by WILL FOLKS
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As they’ve done consistently ever since assuming control of the all-powerful South Carolina General Assembly a quarter century ago, Palmetto State ‘Republicans’ are putting wasteful spending back on the agenda this year.
South Carolina House members added a staggering $300 million in new spending to their already bloated budget on Wednesday (May 6, 2026) – approving a smorgasbord of dubious local projects on a single vote. By rolling all of these items into one budget amendment, lawmakers bypassed the normal appropriations process (and the scrutiny that goes along with it).
Then, to add insult to injury, these same lawmakers voted to give themselves a pay raise…
Such tone deafness has sadly become par for the course for the Palmetto State’s “Republican” supermajority, which is continuing its now-decades-long trend of putting its own interests ahead of the interests of those they purportedly represent.
After refusing for months to provide temporary relief at the gas pump for millions of South Carolinians struggling with soaring fuel costs – and passing a weak income tax bill that actually raises taxes on many citizens – “Republicans” have once again decided to raid the treasury (and then compensated themselves for doing so).
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Shocked? Don’t be… we’ve been saying for years this is how the legislative state rolls in “ruby red” South Carolina.
The latest porkfest (.pdf) – approved by the ruling uni-party via a 94–17 vote – marks the latest example of an ostensibly conservative GOP “supermajority” evading transparency to fund nonessential items. The massive boondoggle is loaded to the gills with questionable appropriations – including $300,000 for a liberal nonprofit in Aiken, S.C. which aims to battle “systemic racism.”
“Why do lawmakers want to keep these expenditures under wraps?” we asked the last time this process was exposed. “Easy: Because many – if not most – of these appropriations are impossible to defend as statewide expenditures.”
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As is always the case, dozens of “restorations,” “renovations,” “refurbishments,” “improvements” and “preservations” were included on the pork list – with zero discussion as to whether government should be subsidizing these structures in the first place (or the programs offered at these facilities).
We plan on combing through this list in more detail in the coming days, and drawing attention to the lawmakers who supported it… especially those running in “Republican” primary elections as so-called “conservatives.”
Also worth noting?
On the same day lawmakers ballooned an already out-of-control budget – one poised to blow an additional $3.43 billion of your money – they proceeded to vote 62–42 to given themselves an additional $1,000 per month in compensation through the end of November (and an additional $2,500 per month thereafter).
That’s amounts to a $30,000 annual pay raise per lawmaker… and would cost taxpayers $5.1 million annually.
Also, the pay raise would take effect prior to the next election (and would raise pay for senators prior to their next election) – something the S.C. supreme court just struck down as unconstitutional.
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?South Carolina House RAISE their own pay!
— Adam Morgan (@RepAdamMorgan) May 6, 2026
Rather than call it “salary” they label it “in-district expense.”
This should be illegal!
And NO they haven’t gotten around to Redistricting yet… pic.twitter.com/WJCtnoPzAk
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Fifth-district congressman Ralph Norman, one of the leading candidates for governor of the Palmetto State, blasted House Republicans for their vote.
“Rather than focusing on fixing our roads, cutting spending, cutting taxes, or reforming our broken judicial system, politicians in the House voted to give themselves MORE MONEY, AGAIN!” Norman said in a statement. “The voters of South Carolina deserve a pay raise, NOT politicians!”
State representative April Cromer is one of the leaders of the S.C. Freedom Caucus, a group whose members have steadfastly opposed wasteful spending at the State House. Cromer told us GOP leaders have misplaced their priorities and sold out their constituents.
“This was my fourth state budget, and honestly, it’s disheartening to watch a Republican supermajority refuse to take the responsibility voters entrusted to them seriously,” Cromer told us. “South Carolinians didn’t send us to Columbia to protect the system. They sent us here to make serious change. Instead, we continue funding the very things Republican voters are begging us to stop.”
Cromer also highlighted the systemic flaws that enable the uni-party to run the show in Columbia, S.C.
“Democrat legislators are allowed to chair budget subcommittees,” Cromer said. “Taxpayer dollars are flowing to LGBTQ+ programs, obscene materials finding their way into children’s spaces, and earmarks piled high for political favors and pet projects. It’s upside down – completely upside down.”
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“Meanwhile, leadership refuses to prioritize what actually matters to hardworking families: full conformity, protecting the homestead exemption, and delivering true income tax relief,” Cromer added. “Instead, they carved out nearly $300 million for earmarks so weak Republican men can go home, hand out checks, cut ribbons, and buy votes with your money. That’s not leadership. That’s political survival.”
Cromer told us the Palmetto State is home to “some of the best people and strongest conservative values in the country, but leadership is squandering a historic opportunity to actually govern like Republicans – and they’re doing it at the expense of the people, the values, and the very fabric of our state.”
As for the vote on the pay raise, Cromer cited a number of lawmakers who flip-flopped and voted against it – saying “don’t be fooled by election-year performances.”
“Go look at last year’s vote when there wasn’t political pressure and campaign mailers to worry about,” she said. “Some members didn’t have a change of heart. They just saw polling numbers. They’re betting voters have short memories. But real convictions don’t appear six months before an election and disappear the moment ballots are counted. Watch how politicians vote when nobody’s watching and when they think their seat is safe. That’s who they really are.”
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THE PORK…
(S.C. State House)
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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