A coalition of conservative South Carolina lawmakers — which finds itself at the forefront of an intra-party battle and potential transformation of the Republican party — unveiled it 2024 Legislative Agenda amid newfound opposition from GOP leaders in the S.C. House of Representatives.
On Tuesday, January 16, 2024, members of the S.C. Freedom Caucus (SCFC) assembled at the State House in downtown Columbia, S.C. to contextualize specific policy proposals and announce the formation of four “fireteams” — referencing units commonly deployed by the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) during wartime.
“The time is now for a robust, conservative offensive strategy,” said state representative Adam Morgan, SCFC Chairman and a candidate for congress. “We have broken into groups and we will be hyper-focused, in different areas, on conservative legislation — both in pushing our legislative agenda items and on combing through and watching and killing bad legislation.”
Last week, FITSNews exclusively reported on proposed rule changes which would effectively prohibit members of the S.C. House from introducing amendments – thus preventing SCFC associates from reshaping legislation in ways more favorable to constituents.
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In response to the attack by legislators, U.S. Air Force veteran and freshman state representative Joe White introduced the concept of SCFC fireteams to wage policy war in the areas of government reform, election integrity, child safety and education/parental rights legislation.
“We thought out loud,” White said during Tuesday’s assembly. “Why couldn’t well trained, well equipped, constitutional conservative[s] … return South Carolina’s state government to a ‘government of the people, by the people and for the people’ instead of the government it has become?”
That fundamental question — among others — gave rise to the formation of four separate squadrons:
- Public Safety Fireteam — Directed by White and garrisoned by representatives Thomas Beach, Mike Burns and Robert “RJ” May III.
- Infrastructure Fireteam — Directed by representative Jay Kilmartin and garrisoned by representatives Burns, Alan Morgan and Ryan McCabe.
- Public Safety Fireteam — Directed by representative April Cromer and garrisoned by representatives Morgan, David O’Neal and Jordan Pace.
- Protect the Children Fireteam — Directed by representative Josiah Magnuson and garrisoned by representatives Ashley Trantham, Stewart Jones, Melissa Oremus and Rob Harris.
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While the caucus has nearly doubled in membership since 2022, its legislative priorities still lack support from the “Republican” supermajority. This is, of course, the same majority that has failed to uphold basic conservative principles for nearly a decade — according to annual rankings from the American Conservative Union (ACU).
“We know that South Carolina has been consistently ranked as the most liberal, Republican-controlled general assembly in America,” said SCFC vice chairman May. “We hope, with this legislative agenda, that we can change that. That we can see progress in this chamber to move towards a more conservative and prosperous future.”
According to SCFC — its top priorities this legislative session include reforming the Judicial Merit Selection Commission (JMSC), eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and critical race theory (CRT) in public education, banning childhood transgender surgeries and overhauling the state’s immigration laws, among others.
On the same day caucus members unveiled their fireteams and subsequent agendas, one Republican and two Democratic politicians participated in a panel discussion hosted by the Carolinas Natural Gas Association. During the summit, assistant House majority leader Jay West and two Democratic members – including Senate minority leader Brad Hutto – assailed the SCFC and its members.
Our founding editor, Will Folks, broke down the fallout from the panel discussion in a separate report.
Count on FITSNews to keep our audience apprised on the progress of SCFC policy proposals — as well as their broader battle with GOP establishment — as this legislative session progresses.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
Andrew Fancher is a Lone Star Emmy award-winning journalist from Dallas, Texas. Cut from a bloodline of outlaws and lawmen alike, he was the first of his family to graduate college which was accomplished with honors. Got a story idea or news tip for Andy? Email him directly and connect with him socially across Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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2 comments
“fireteams”?
They are closer to domestic terrorist cells.
These are dangerous radicalized religious nuts whose only goal is to obstruct.
Thankfully, real Republicans and Democrats are working across the aisle to hamper these goons.
The Freedumb KKKaucus is so awful that dealing with them is the one issue both parties can agree on in SC.
Easier and more accurate to just call it “the Hate Caucus.”