Democrat Boroughs says Joe Wilson’s vote against Columbia Canal funds was ‘betrayal’
Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin and Democratic congressional candidate Adair Ford Boroughs criticized her opponent U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson Thursday for hampering efforts to secure funding to repair the Columbia Canal, which has been damaged since the massive 2015 floods.
Standing in Riverfront Park, Boroughs and Benjamin both criticized Wilson for voting against a bill last year that included funding for repairs to the canal.
“I’m a huge believer that the real test of a leader is how you respond in times of crisis,” Benjamin said. “It was indeed the greatest challenge we’ve faced as a city in our state’s history.”
“Joe Wilson failed that test,” the Columbia Democrat added.
Wilson’s campaign did not immediately return a request for comment Thursday. His district includes parts of Aiken, Lexington and Barnwell counties. It also includes parts of Richland County, including Rosewood, Forest Acres, Fort Jackson, Pontiac and Blythewood.
The Columbia Canal — Columbia’s main source of drinking water — was breached in 2015 as South Carolina’s capital city saw historic flooding. Repairs were estimated to cost more than $100 million, which, at the time, city officials expected to be covered by federal funds from FEMA.
The canal itself is located in the 6th District, represented by U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, but provides water to residents in both Clyburn’s and Wilson’s districts.
In the five years since the historic flood, no repairs have been made to the nearly 60-foot wide breach in the canal. A rock dam assembled after the flood has provided a temporary fix.
The delay in repairs has largely been due to a hold-up in the funding process. Benjamin testified to a U.S. House committee in 2019 that FEMA was not willing to foot the entire bill for the project, and the agency said some damage to the canal was due to regular wear and tear.
As of Thursday, FEMA had agreed to supply $40 million for repairs, and the city had also secured a more than $20 million community development block grant for disaster recovery and mitigation from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Benjamin said.
H.R. 2157, a disaster relief bill that was introduced in the House in April 2019, included money to repair the canal, and was championed by Clyburn, who also represents Columbia. Though it passed the House, Wilson voted against the bill, which was opposed by President Donald Trump due to the funds it gave Puerto Rico.
In the Senate, funding for the Columbia canal, among other projects, was stripped out. When the bill returned to the House, Wilson voted in favor.
Benjamin, who has endorsed Boroughs, said other South Carolina Republicans who Wilson worked for wouldn’t have voted against funding for the area.
“(Former U.S. Rep.) Floyd Spence wouldn’t have done that,” Benjamin said. “(Former U.S. Sen.) Strom Thurmond wouldn’t have done that.”
If the federal government doesn’t supply the rest of the funds to repair the canal, the city will have to undertake the project on its own, Benjamin said. That could possibly result in higher service rates for Columbia water customers, he added.
Both Benjamin and Boroughs criticized Wilson for not supporting the bill when it included funds for his own district.
“It is a shame and it is heartbreaking to me that we didn’t have a partner at the federal level,” Boroughs said. “...That vote is a betrayal to all people in this district.”
Boroughs promised that if elected in place of Wilson come November, she would advocate on behalf of the city to secure funds to repair the canal. She said she would support appropriations bills that include funding for canal repairs and would push FEMA to provide sufficient funding for those repairs.
Boroughs also promised to look into available funds and grants from other government agencies that could go toward repairs.
“We deserve a representative that will fight to get some of our tax dollar back in our district,” Boroughs said.
