Reform Party of South Carolina:
On Saturday, August 16th, Governor Henry McMaster authorized the deployment of 200 South Carolina National Guard troops to Washington, D.C. to “support the president’s mission.”
The Reform Party of South Carolina rejects this decision on the grounds that it is a partisan action. Decisions should be made by officials closest to the people, and the lack of a request from the Mayor of Washington, D.C. is a clear indication that our military is being used to score political points. Moreover, at a time when government spending, waste, and rising debt are center stage in the national dialogue, deploying armed forces from distant states clearly disregards fiscal responsibility. The Reform Party believes in right-sized government, and this action sets the stage for a continual rotation of armed forces in the nation’s seat of power for partisan purposes at the cost of millions of dollars. We, the Reform Party of South Carolina, find little that is right-sized about this decision. The Governor should cancel or recall the deployment for a clear and simple reason: the US military should not be used against Americans for political gain.
