BEAUFORT COUNTY, S.C. () — The federal government remains in a full shutdown, with Democrats and Republicans still unable to come to an agreement on the budget.
News 3 spoke with South Carolina Republican Representative Nancy Mace about the current shutdown and where the two parties lie currently.
“Democrats prefer giving free healthcare to undocumented immigrants over funding our troops. That’s the reality. And it’s what’s happening at this moment,” stated Mace.
Mace mentioned that Democrats are delaying the vote, but South Carolina Democratic Representative James Clyburn, who couldn’t be reached for comment on Sunday, had earlier countered these assertions in a post on X, calling them untrue.
“Republicans are misleading people about the shutdown to shift attention from Trump’s bill and the cuts to ACA tax credits, risking healthcare access for 15 million and significantly raising costs for millions more,” he posted. “They’re hoping you’ll overlook this impending healthcare crisis.”
Regardless of who is blamed, the ongoing shutdown affects millions nationwide, including federal employees in the Lowcountry and Coastal Empire.
“They both need to collaborate and resolve this issue so we can maintain a strong democracy without harming people’s lives and businesses,” expressed Kevin Dopf, PhD, a Political Science Professor at the University of South Carolina – Beaufort (USCB) and a former member of the Army.
Dopf explained that impacts would especially be felt in our area the longer the shutdown continues.
“In the Lowcountry we have a lot of federal employees, military and civilians,” said Dopf. “More so than most areas.”
Beaufort Marine Corp Air Station, Parris Island, and even military bases in Georgia like, the Hunter Army Airfield and Ft. Stewart, have all delayed pay to federal employees during the shutdown.
Dopf said impacts look to be minimal right now but if the shutdown continues we could see larger effects.
“This could start to be really bad because then you’re going to have thousands and thousands, you know, 100,000 people not getting paid in Beaufort County next week,” said Dopf. “We won’t have any money coming in to pay the rent, to pay for groceries, to pay for the needs, you know, school supplies for their children.”
Not only could an extended shutdown impact military families on delayed pay but it could begin to trickle into businesses who rely on military and civilians to spend money.
“It’ll be like a domino effect,” said Dopf. “The longer it goes, the more businesses will be affected because then they won’t get the income, and they may not be able to pay their bills. So that’ll affect something else, you know, affect everyone’s bottom line, especially in our area where we’re heavily dependent on federal and military personnel.”
