U.S. House of Representatives
Committee assignments )
George W. Bush in 2002 in Kyiv, Ukraine, May 5, 2023 As of the 118th Congress, Wilson served on three
standing committees and various subcommittees overseeing specific areas of legislation. He serves on the
Committee on Armed Services, for which he is also a member of the
Subcommittee on Readiness and
Subcommittee on Strategic Forces. He serves on the
Committee on Education and the Workforce, for which he also is a member of the
Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions. As a member of the
Committee on Foreign Affairs, Wilson serves on the
Subcommittee on Europe and Chairs the
Subcommittee on the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia. Wilson serves as the Chair of the
U.S. Helsinki Commission. Wilson is a member of the
Republican Study Committee, Chair of the RSC National Security and Foreign Affairs Task Force, and a member of the
Tea Party Caucus. On June 27, 2024, Wilson announced he will run for the Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Caucus memberships • Composites Caucus (co-chair) • Counter-Kleptocracy Caucus (co-chair) • Congressional United Kingdom Caucus (co-chair) • Congressional French Caucus (co-chair) • European Union Caucus (founder and co-chair) • Congressional Caucus on Korea (co-chair) •
Congressional Ukraine Caucus • House Ethiopian-American Caucus (co-chair) • Friends of Belarus Caucus (co-chair) • Congressional Bangladesh Caucus (co-chair) •
Congressional Taiwan Caucus • Israel Allies Caucus • Russia Democracy Caucus • Sportsmen's Caucus •
House Republican Policy Committee •
Tea Party Caucus •
Congressional Arts Caucus •
Congressional Constitution Caucus •
Afterschool Caucuses •
Congressional NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus •
Congressional Motorcycle Caucus •
Congressional Wildlife Refuge Caucus •
Rare Disease Caucus •
Republican Study Committee Like his former boss, Spence, Wilson is an ardent social and fiscal conservative. In 2003, Wilson voted for the
Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act, including its Section 1011 authorizing $250,000 annually of taxpayer money to reimburse hospitals for treatment of illegal immigrants. In 2009, he changed to his current position of opposing public funds for health care of illegal immigrants.
Legislation , U.S. envoy to Syria
Tom Barrack, met with Syrian President
Ahmed al-Sharaa, August 2025 Wilson has sponsored and co-sponsored a number of bills concerning teacher recruitment and retention, college campus fire safety, National Guard troop levels, arming airline pilots, tax credits for adoptions, tax credits for living organ donors, and state defense forces. As of January 2006, eight bills he co-sponsored have passed the House, including H.R. 1973, the
Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005, making safe water and sanitation an objective of U.S. assistance to developing countries. Wilson is a staunch advocate of a federal prohibition of online
poker. In 2006, he co-sponsored H.R. 4411, the
Goodlatte-Leach Internet Gambling Prohibition Act, and H.R. 4777, the Internet Gambling Prohibition Act. Wilson initiated the Drafting Business Expensing Act of 2003, which allows businesses to immediately write off 50% of the cost of business equipment and machinery. This bonus
depreciation provision was extended for 2008 and 2009 in two separate stimulus bills. He also spearheaded the Drafting Teacher Recruitment and Retention Act of 2003, which offers higher education loan forgiveness to math, science and special education teachers in schools with predominantly low-income student populations. He cites as his most important vote the
Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003. Wilson sponsored H.R. 6202, the American Tech Workforce Act of 2021, introduced by Representative
Jim Banks. The legislation would establish a wage floor for the high-skill H-1B visa program, thereby significantly reducing employer dependence on the program. The bill would also eliminate the Optional Practical Training program that allows foreign graduates to stay and work in the United States. In 2023, Wilson introduced H.R. 3202, the Assad Regime Anti-Normalization Act of 2023. The act would extend the
Caesar sanctions until 2032 and prevent the United States from recognizing or dealing with
Ba'athist Syria. The act was passed by the House in 2024. Following the
fall of the Assad regime, Wilson called for the lifting of sanctions related to the economy, investment, and reconstruction.
Political positions In 2025, Wilson
tweeted that the Iraqi judiciary was allegedly being controlled by "Iranian puppets," specifically referring to Judge
Faiq Zaidan. He questioned the legitimacy of Zaidan's rulings within the Iraqi Constitution and called for what he deemed "Iraq's liberation from Iranian influence". These claims came after a congressional amendment proposed by
Mike Waltz, labeling Zaidan as a tool of Iranian influence.
"You lie!" outburst during Obama address On September 9, 2009, during a nationally televised joint address to Congress by President
Barack Obama, Wilson shouted "You lie!" after Obama, while outlining his proposal for
reforming health care, said, "There are also those who claim that our reform effort will insure illegal immigrants. This, too, is false—the reforms I'm proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally." Obama's chief of staff
Rahm Emanuel immediately approached senior Republican lawmakers and asked them to identify the heckler and urge him to apologize immediately. Members of Congress from both parties condemned the outburst. "Totally disrespectful", said Senator
John McCain of Wilson's utterance. "No place for it in that setting or any other and he should apologize immediately." Wilson said later in a statement: This evening I let my emotions get the best of me when listening to the President's remarks regarding the coverage of undocumented immigrants in the health care bill. While I disagree with the President's statement, my comments were inappropriate and regrettable. I extend sincere apologies to the President for this lack of civility. Obama accepted his apology. "I'm a big believer that we all make mistakes", he said. "He apologized quickly and without equivocation and I'm appreciative of that." House Democrats called on Wilson to issue a formal apology on the House floor. House Majority Whip
Jim Clyburn said, "This is about the rules of the House". House Majority Leader
Steny Hoyer said, "What's at issue here is of importance to the House and of importance to the country ... This House cannot stay silent". Wilson refused to apologize to the House of Representatives, saying in a televised interview, "I believe one apology is sufficient." Congressional Republicans agreed, and opposed further action. Minority Leader
John Boehner said, "I think this is a sad day for the House of Representatives ... I think this is a political stunt aimed at distracting the American people from what they really care about, which is health care." On September 15, the House approved a "resolution of disapproval" against Wilson by a 240–179 vote almost exactly along party lines. Wilson said that his outburst reflected his view that Obama's bill would provide government-subsidized benefits to illegal immigrants. Several
fact-checking organizations wrote that Wilson's view was inaccurate because
HR 3200 expressly excludes undocumented aliens from receiving government-subsidized "affordability credits". The nonpartisan
Congressional Research Service agreed that people would need to be lawfully present in the U.S. in order to be eligible for the credits, but noted that the bill did not bar non-citizens from buying their own health insurance coverage through the
health insurance exchange. The Obama administration said that, in the final bill, undocumented immigrants would not be able to participate in the Exchange. Such language was included in the
Senate Finance Committee's version of the bill,
America's Healthy Future Act. After the incident, Wilson and Democrat Rob Miller, his 2010 general election opponent, experienced a significant upswing in campaign donations. In the week after Wilson's outburst, Miller raised $1.6 million, about three times his 2008 donations, while Wilson raised $1.8 million.
Apology for remarks about hatred of America On a 2002 live broadcast of the
C-SPAN talk show
Washington Journal, Wilson and Representative
Bob Filner were discussing
Iraqi
weapons of mass destruction. When Filner noted that the U.S. provided Iraq with "chemical and biological weapons" in the 1980s, Wilson stated that this idea was "made up" and told Filner, "This hatred of America by some people is just outrageous. And you need to get over that." Wilson apologized for his remarks in statements to the press.
Apology for remarks about Strom Thurmond's daughter In 2003,
Essie Mae Washington-Williams revealed she was the daughter of Wilson's former employer, Senator
Strom Thurmond, and Thurmond's black maid. Wilson was among those who publicly doubted her assertion that Thurmond had a child
out of wedlock. Wilson said even if her story were true, she should not have revealed it because "it's a
smear" on Thurmond's image and was a way to "diminish" Thurmond's legacy. After Thurmond's family acknowledged the truth of Washington-Williams's revelation, Wilson apologized, but said that he still thought that she should not have revealed that Thurmond was her father.
Texas v. Pennsylvania In December 2020, Wilson was one of 126 Republican members of the
House of Representatives to sign an
amicus brief in support of
Texas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at the
United States Supreme Court contesting the results of the
2020 presidential election, in which
Joe Biden defeated incumbent
Donald Trump. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case on the basis that Texas lacked
standing under
Article III of the Constitution to challenge the results of an election held by another state.
Opposition to Georgian Dream In May 2024, in response to the
Georgian protests of 2023-2024, Wilson introduced the
MEGOBARI Act in the
United States House of Representatives. The act targets
Georgian Dream party officials and others deemed responsible for undermining democracy in Georgia. It also tasks U.S. government agencies with reporting to Congress on improper influence, sanctions evasion, and the activities of Russian intelligence assets in Georgia. On December 26, 2024, Wilson wrote on
X that “President
Donald Trump has made it very clear where he stands on the self-professed enemies of America. If
Bidzina Ivanishvili goes through with his plan to destroy Georgian democracy on December 29, he should expect a response like he’s never imagined.” He also posted, “Corrupt Bidzina Ivanishvili, a lover of
China &
Iran and hater of America, is trying to transform Georgia from a democracy into a dictatorship. We must put America First and cut all [funding] to Georgia if that happens.” and questioned Ivanishvili’s actions, writing, “Why did Georgia’s dictator-in-waiting Bidzina Ivanishvili give a contract to build the
Anaklia Deep Sea Port to a sanctioned Chinese company? Are you ready for sanctions, Bidzina?” On December 27, Wilson, extended an invitation to
President Salome Zourabichvili, recognizing her as the sole legitimate leader of Georgia, to attend the
inauguration of Donald Trump. He wrote on X: "As the only legitimate leader in Georgia, I am grateful to extend an invite to President Salome Zourabichvili to attend the inauguration of President Donald Trump. I am in awe of her courage in the face of the assault by
Ivanishvili and his friends in the
CCP &
Iranian regime." On December 29, Wilson announced on X that he would introduce a bill in the U.S. Congress recognizing Salome Zourabichvili as the sole legitimate president of Georgia until fair re-elections are conducted in the country. He stated that the proposed legislation, titled the "Georgian Nightmare Non-Recognition Act", would prohibit U.S. recognition of the "illegal dictatorial regime" in Georgia and reaffirm Zourabichvili's legitimacy as the country's leader pending free and fair elections.
Other notable events , 2016. i Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu (fourth from right) and Speaker
Nancy Pelosi (third from left). In November 2009, the
New York Times reported that Wilson and Representative
Blaine Luetkemeyer made identical written statements, reading, "One of the reasons I have long supported the U.S. biotechnology industry is that it is a homegrown success story that has been an engine of job creation in this country. Unfortunately, many of the largest companies that would seek to enter the
biosimilar market have made their money by outsourcing their research to foreign countries like India." The statement was originally drafted by lobbyists for
Genentech, now a Swiss
biotechnology firm, but founded and still headquartered in
San Francisco, California. Wilson supported President Trump's 2017
executive order to impose a temporary ban on entry to the U.S. to citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries, saying that the order would "secure our borders and keep American families safe from terrorist attacks." On April 10, 2017, a Wilson
town hall meeting at
Aiken Technical College in
Graniteville, South Carolina was interrupted by activists chanting "you lie" as Wilson asserted that the
Affordable Care Act was causing people to be denied health services. In January 2023, Wilson proposed a bill to direct "the
Fine Arts Board to obtain a bust of the
President of Ukraine,
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, for display in the House of Representatives wing of the United States Capitol". On October 30, 2024, Columbia Airport Expressway was renamed to the Congressman Joe Wilson Expressway. The sign unveiling was attended by South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) staff and other current and former elected officials present including
Attorney General of South Carolina Alan Wilson, South Carolina Secretary of Transportation Justin Powell, U.S. Congressman
Ralph Norman, and
Anton Gunn. In November 2025, Wilson stirred controversy again by attacking America's Orthodox Christian community as an "extension of the Russian state," and a group of American Orthodox leaders and faithful visiting the U.S. Congress as an "intelligence operation." This resulted in an outcry from the Orthodox faithful, as well as critical responses from Congresswoman
Anna Paulina Luna and South Carolina state representative
Thomas Beach, who called the comments "a really ugly smear" and "beneath the office." In response to these criticisms, Wilson doubled down, singling out "the leadership of the
Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR) operating under the umbrella of the Moscow Patriarchate," despite ROCOR being autonmous, headquartered in the United States, and under the primacy of an America-born metropolitan bishop. ==Personal life==