Wilson Changes Mind on SC Vet Cemetery Land Buy

BEAUFORT, S.C. (AP) - U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson has written two bills to expand Beaufort National Cemetery less than a year after he refused to support the effort as he fought earmarks.

The Beaufort Gazette reports the Republican now backs buying a 5-acre apartment complex and studying what other land might be available to expand the Civil War era cemetery with nearly 20,000 graves.

A panel recommended the government buy the land for $3.2 million in March, but Wilson refused to support the move, saying he signed a one-year moratorium on special projects for lawmakers’ districts called earmarks because they can promote wasteful spending.

Wilson says buying the land now makes sense because it will serve the cemetery’s future.

Wilson won re-election in November to a fourth full term.