By Carol Lucas
Last week, my neighborhood blog was filled with comments regarding Representative Nancy Mace; most were accusatory regarding her failure to attend the Memorial Day ceremony honoring the fallen at the Beaufort National Cemetery.
It seems that Representative Mace was willing to ride in the parade as a political figure, seeing this as a way to foster her reelection. But when she “skipped out” of participation in the honoring of those who gave their lives for this country, she was roundly criticized by many. I should add that a couple of people came to her defense, saying she had done much for veterans, but overall, much contempt was heaped upon Ms. Mace.
One has to wonder about this omission, given that her father was an Army General, and she is a graduate of The Citadel.
As I read these comments, I decided to research Nancy Mace and her stance on several issues since being sent to Washington in 2018. What I found was she is a bit of an enigma. I’ll use this word since it is the least offensive; that said, I know that many see her as a hypocrite, a term very much applicable to many in the current U.S. House of Representatives.
This week, however, the chatter regarding the S.C. representative expanded to the national level and deals with a congressional reimbursement program. The program in question, which was passed on a bipartisan basis, was intended to help lawmakers cover expenses incurred from owning and maintaining two homes: one in Washington and one in their district.
Ethics watchdogs see potential for abuse of this program and have identified those they feel have done so; it seems Representative Mace occupies a place in this group, front and center. The fact that her own staff was willing to provide some details about her spending habits doesn’t bode well.
According to The Washington Post, “Mace was told by people involved with her office finances that she could not justify claiming more than $1,800 a month for expenses on a townhouse. “One source showed The Post a document laying out Mace’s monthly expenses for the $1.6 million dwelling that she co-owns, and calculating them as $1,726.”
Furthermore, three sources tell the paper that Mace “instructed her staff to seek the maximum reimbursement each day the House was in session, regardless of her actual expenses.”
Finally, the Post report follows up with this:
“Rep. Nancy Mace claimed expenses of more than a total of $19,395 over a nine-month period under a tax-payer funded program. Mace was one in a handful of House lawmakers who were reimbursed at least $5.2 million under a taxpayer funded program for food and lodging while on official business in Washington last year.
But here is the kicker: the program does not require the lawmakers to provide receipts.
Mace has denied these allegations but also did not provide the Post with a detailed breakdown of her expenses. Nor were receipts made available.
Please know that I am not so naive as to disbelieve there are those in both parties who have used to their advantage this ‘no-receipts-necessary’ program, a program that is a welcome mat for abuse! But right now, I am concerned about the ethics of the candidates we are voting upon here in South Carolina. (note: The above was published June 4, 2024.)
I began this article with a local take on Nancy Mace. But like so many political stories, the tentacles extend, sometimes overtly, sometimes underground.
I asked the question regarding the “real” Nancy Mace, a woman who has billed herself as an Independent, yet has shown herself to be a Donald Trump devotee. She claims her Republican rival, Catherine Templeton, was recruited by the Washington establishment, yet Mace stated that she was honored when House Speaker, Mike Johnson, held a fundraiser on her behalf.
Furthermore, the fallout from the decision by House Republicans to include a divisive anti-abortion measure in the current defense spending vote has labeled the congresswoman a hypocrite for voting for it.
Back in the late 50s there was a quiz show hosted by Ralph Edwards called “Truth or Consequences” in which the celebrity panel had to identify which of three contestants was the real “whoever.” At the end, Ralph would intone “Will the real ** please stand up.”
I think it is a fair request to ask the same of Nancy Mace. Furthermore, if we don’t get the “truth,” we should provide the “consequences” at the polls.
Carol Lucas is a retired high school teacher and a Lady’s Island resident. She is the author of the recently published “A Breath Away: One Woman’s Journey Through Widowhood.”
