¶ Overview
- Wilson was an early supporter of Trump’s “Department of Government Efficiency.” As soon as Trump was elected Wilson joined the “Delivering Outstanding Government Efficiency (DOGE)” Caucus in order to support the government agency’s agenda, and frequently called on the agency to audit foreign aid the U.S. sent to countries with ties to foreign adversaries.
- Despite all the time Wilson spent greenlighting DOGE’s actions, South Carolinians were suffering thanks to the agency’s actions. DOGE’s downsizing efforts were affecting the federal government’s ability to deliver services to seniors, and DOGE federal funding cuts devastated South Carolina’s humanities programs. More than 170,000 South Carolinians in Wilson’s district relied on Social Security benefits and 16,800 were employed by the federal government.
¶ Wilson Was A Vocal Advocate For DOGE Despite The Detrimental Impact It Had On South Carolinians
¶ Wilson Was A Member Of The Congressional DOGE Caucus
¶ Wilson Was A Member Of The DOGE Caucus
November 2024: Wilson Joined The Newly Created DOGE Caucus. According to a press release from Rep. Aaron Bean, “On Tuesday, November 19, U.S. Congressman Aaron Bean (FL-04) and U.S. Congressman Pete Sessions (TX-17) launched the Delivering Outstanding Government Efficiency (DOGE) Caucus to reduce waste, fraud and abuse. On Friday, November 22, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) launched the DOGE Caucus in the Senate. […] In the House, members include Representatives: Cory Mills (FL-7), Celeste Maloy (UT-02), Josh Brecheen (OK-02), Ralph Norman (SC-05), Jeff Van Drew (NJ-02), Jeff Duncan (SC-03), Maria Elvira Salazar (FL-27), Pat Fallon (TX-04), Ben Cline (VA-06), Jim Baird (IN-04), Tim Walberg (MI-05), Daniel Webster (FL-11), David Rouzer (NC-07), Dan Newhouse (WA-04), Andy Barr (KY-06), Michael Burgess (TX-26), Debbie Lesko (AZ-08), Nick Langworthy (NY-23), Scott Franklin (FL-18), Stephanie Bice (OK-05), Randy Weber (TX-14), Glenn Grothman (WI-6), Joe Wilson (SC-02)…” [Press Release – Rep. Aaron Bean, 11/25/24]
¶ Wilson Frequently Called For DOGE To Investigate How Many Taxpayer Dollars Go To Foreign Regimes
2/1/25: Wilson Called On DOGE To Audit How Many Taxpayer Dollars Go To Iranian Terrorists In Iraq. Rep. Joe Wilson tweeted, “Can @DOGE do an audit of how many taxpayer dollars go to Iranian regime-backed terrorist militias in Iraq?”
[Twitter, @RepJoeWilson, 2/1/25]
2/2/25: Wilson Called On DOGE To Investigate Aid Given To Tunisia. Rep. Joe Wilson tweeted, “In 2023, America provided $167.2 million in aid to Tunisia a police state dictatorship. Tunisia’s tyrant returned the favor by cozying up to the CCP. @DOGE”
[Twitter, @RepJoeWilson, 2/2/25]
2/11/25: Wilson Praised DOGE For Cutting Funding To USAID And Called For The Department To Investigate Taxpayer Dollars Given To Iranian Terrorists. Rep. Joe Wilson tweeted, “Glad USAID funding Sesame Street in Iraq has been exposed but that is sadly the least of our problems. Just wait until DOGE finds out that America is funding a regime in Iraq run by Badr, a puppet of the Iranian regime. Trump will fix it.”
[Twitter, @RepJoeWilson, 2/11/25]
2025: At The Social Security administration, doge had forced mass layoffs, longer wait times and frequent website crashes
HEADLINE: "Social Security Stops Reporting Call Wait Times And Other Metrics" [Washington Post, 6/20/25]
HEADLINE: "As Social Security Services Are Cut Back, Millions Of Seniors Face Long Drives" [Axios, 4/8/25]
HEADLINE: "Social Security Website Keeps Crashing, As DOGE Demands Cuts To IT Staff" [Washington Post, 4/7/25]
HEADLINE: "Social Security Faces Thousands More Job Cuts Even With Service In Tailspin" [Washington Post, 4/4/25]
The Social Security Administration Website Crashed Four Times In Ten Days In March Because Servers Were Overloaded. According to the Washington Post, "The Social Security Administration website crashed four times in 10 days this month because the servers were overloaded, blocking millions of retirees and disabled Americans from logging in to their online accounts. In the field, office managers have resorted to answering phones in place of receptionists because so many employees have been pushed out. Amid all this, the agency no longer has a system to monitor customer experience because that office was eliminated as part of the cost-cutting efforts led by Elon Musk. And the phones keep ringing. And ringing." [Washington Post, 3/25/25]
Field Office Managers At Social Security Offices Had To Answer Phones In Place Of Receptionists Because DOGE Had Pushed Out So Many Federal Employees. According to the Washington Post, "The Social Security Administration website crashed four times in 10 days this month because the servers were overloaded, blocking millions of retirees and disabled Americans from logging in to their online accounts. In the field, office managers have resorted to answering phones in place of receptionists because so many employees have been pushed out. Amid all this, the agency no longer has a system to monitor customer experience because that office was eliminated as part of the cost-cutting efforts led by Elon Musk. And the phones keep ringing. And ringing." [Washington Post, 3/25/25]
DOGE Eliminated The Social Security Administration’s System To Monitor Customer Experience. According to the Washington Post, "The Social Security Administration website crashed four times in 10 days this month because the servers were overloaded, blocking millions of retirees and disabled Americans from logging in to their online accounts. In the field, office managers have resorted to answering phones in place of receptionists because so many employees have been pushed out. Amid all this, the agency no longer has a system to monitor customer experience because that office was eliminated as part of the cost-cutting efforts led by Elon Musk. And the phones keep ringing. And ringing." [Washington Post, 3/25/25]
Early February-Late March 2025: AARP Said More Than 2,000 People Per Week Had Called Expressing Concerns About Whether They Would Continue To Get Their Social Security Benefits. According to the Washington Post, "Alarmed lawmakers are straining to answer questions back home from angry constituents. Calls have flooded into congressional offices. AARP announced Monday that more than 2,000 people a week have called the retiree organization since early February — double the usual number — with concerns about whether benefits they paid for during their working careers will continue. Social Security is the primary source of income for about 40 percent of older Americans." [Washington Post, 3/25/25]
¶ South Carolina Suffered Due To DOGE Cuts That Wilson Supported
2024: 170,002 South Carolinians In The 2nd Congressional District Relied On Social Security Benefits. According to the Social Security Administration, in 2024, 170,002 South Carolinians in the 2nd congressional district received Social Security benefits. [Social Security Administration, South Carolina, 2024]
2023: There Were An Estimated 16,800 Federal Workers In Wilson’s District. According to the Center for American Progress,
[Center for American Progress, 3/17/25]
DOGE Cuts To Humanities Programs Across South Carolina Forced Non-Profits To Reduce Staff And Program Offerings While Increasing The Competitiveness Of Private Donations. According to Greenville News, “A year ago, nearly 700 children from 10 Greenville County Schools were introduced to the significance of musical instruments from 1575 through digital sample libraries at the Sigal Music Museum. Today, that program ceases to exist due to humanities-based arts grant cuts issued by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and the Trump administration in early April. The cuts are expected to change how certain non-profit organizations deploy their programs and operate throughout South Carolina, resulting in higher competition for private donations, as well as reductions in staff and programming. Link to Image ‘There are now fewer opportunities across the board for public funding and a larger pool for non-federal grant money because that well has dried up,’ said David Sims, executive director of the Sigal Music Museum.” [Greenville News, 4/30/25]
The Center For American Progress Reported That DOGE Cut More Than $171 Million In Grant And Lease Terminations Across South Carolina. According to Greenville News, “According to the Center for American Progress, a similar situation exists for Hope Rises International in Greenville, which has nearly $1.5 million in funding in jeopardy and an undisclosed amount of leasing funds in limbo at the Greenville location for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). ‘We have a $36 trillion national debt and a $2 trillion annual deficit,’ said Rep. William Timmons of the Hope Rises and EEOC grant and lease funding being cut within his district. ‘We are diligently identifying waste, fraud, and abuse across government. To maintain our role as a global leader, we must reassess every dollar spent and ensure it is used wisely,’ he added. In its database, the Center for American Progress reports that more than $171 million in grant and lease terminations have been conducted by DOGE and the Trump administration across South Carolina.” [Greenville News, 4/30/25]
- More Than 1,000 National Endowment For The Humanities Grants Were Cut In South Carolina During DOGE’s First Week In Operation. According to Greenville News, “When the humanities funding cuts began nearly a month back, more than a thousand National Endowment for the Humanities grants were terminated within the first week. In effect, the South Carolina Humanities Council (SCHC) experienced grant and lease terminations as its entity lost access to its annual $1 million in federal funding, according to Randy Akers, executive director of the statewide nonprofit agency. ‘Up to 350,000 participate in our programs, and last year we distributed nearly $400,000 in grant money,’ Akers said. ‘These cuts will impact thousands of people, and have a great impact in rural areas, museums, and schools.’ Between 2023 and 2025, $1.2 million was awarded to educational and non-profit entities across the state through the SCHC, according to the national database. As of May 1, the SCHC will officially suspend grants allocated for the year until a decision is made by Congress regarding the 2026 budget.” [Greenville News, 4/30/25]
The South Carolina Legislature Worked To Pass A Budget With Zero Earmarks, Leaving Non-Profits That Provide Critical Services With No Federal Support. According to Live 5 WCSC, “The South Carolina Legislature is moving forward with a budget void of earmarks, the specialty funding that sees pet projects and select nonprofits get funded. […] While some applaud the effort to get rid of pet projects funded by taxpayer dollars, others are concerned about the nonprofits that rely on state funding to provide critical services. One such organization that relies on an earmark is Florence Crittenton Programs of South Carolina in the Charleston area. The nonprofit is a resource for pregnant teens and young women with nowhere to go.” [Live 5 WCSC, 4/30/25]
- The Budget Was An Effort To Emulate DOGE At The State Level. According to Live 5 WCSC, “Rom Reddy says getting rid of earmarks is a first good step to making the South Carolina government more efficient. Reddy is the man behind DOGE SC, a new PAC poised to replicate Elon Musk’s federal Department of Government Efficiency. ‘In general, I am opposed to the government taking a citizen’s money and doing charitable things with it. We are a very charitable society,’ Reddy said. ‘It is not the government’s job to say, ‘give me your tax dollars and the let me do the charitable gift.’ DOGE SC supporters are calling not just for an end to earmarks but to income tax as well. They want to see the budget shrink, regulations removed and the size of the state bureaucracy cut in half.” [Live 5 WCSC, 4/30/25]
- May 2025: South Carolina Passed Its Budget Without Any Earmarks. According to the South Carolina Policy Council, “Taxpayers deserve to know where their money goes, but state budgets often conceal spending in secretive earmarks with little oversight. The fight for budget transparency is not unique to South Carolina. It is present in all 50 state legislatures and the U.S. Congress, which banned earmarks from 2011 to 2021. On May 28, the General Assembly passed the FY 2025-26 budget without any earmarks, a move that Gov. Henry McMaster said ’may be progress.’ House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Bruce Bannister said the exclusion is an opportunity to work toward solutions, signaling potential for reform.” [South Carolina Policy Council, 6/26/25]