State lawmakers propose DOGE in South Carolina. What would it look like?

HANAHAN, S.C. (WCIV) — As the Department of Government Efficiency has fired tens of thousands of federal employees and frozen funding for certain agencies, similar efforts have made their way to the Palmetto State.

State Rep. Mark Smith and Sen. Brian Adams hosted a town hall in Hanahan Thursday evening to discuss increasing efficiency in South Carolina. The lawmakers say DOGE is about working smarter using taxpayer dollars.

“If they had been doing their job, there wouldn’t be a need for DOGE,” said Mark Williams.

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As conversations on the topic in Washington, D.C. and now Columbia pick up, Williams is asking how we got here.

I’m a fan of DOGE, he said.

“I think it’s necessary at this point. My problem is, why is it necessary?” Williams questioned.

The longtime Hanahan resident said he has concerns about the use of taxpayer dollars, infrastructure projects going unfinished for years and lawmakers focusing on culture issues.

Overall, Williams claims to be a fan of smaller government.

“Get rid of all of it,” he said. “There’s way too much waste in government from the top to the bottom: federal, local and state.”

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Rep. Smith of Berkeley County hopes a new DOGE Act introduced at the State House will be a solution.

The measure proposes a nine-member commission tasked with looking through state funding to find areas of potential savings.

“Making sure that as we are continuing to grow, that we’re taking care of every citizen, and that the tax dollars that are coming into Columbia are spent wisely,” Smith explained.

Members would be appointed as private citizens, not elected officials, and they would report to the General Assembly. The State House, State Senate and Governor would each have three appointees, according to Smith.

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He said another key piece of the bill would be modernizing state systems and throwing out old legislation.

“There are so many rules and regulations and laws on the books that are outdated,” Smith said. “So, we want to make sure that we’re continuing to make the laws work for the citizens in South Carolina.”

Republicans have controlled the State House, State Senate and Governor’s Office for more than 20 years. Because of this, state Democrats argue any blame for money waste found in South Carolina should be put on the GOP.

The House DOGE bill is currently in committee.

A nearly identical measure in the senate passed out of committee in February.