Rift Over OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Hosting Splits Southern Republicans

Senator Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi), chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told Representative Joe Wilson (R-South Carolina) on July 2 that the United States would not host the 2025 OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Charleston. Wilson had lobbied since 2024 to locate the meeting in his district, and Wicker had earlier signed a bipartisan March letter seeking $4 million in federal funding. Wicker’s reversal left Serbia free to submit a bid.

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Wicker and Wilson have worked together for more than a decade, chairing the Helsinki Commission (Wilson) and serving as its vice-chair (Wicker) while also holding senior positions on the Senate and House Armed Services Committees. Their partnership dates to the Obama era, when Wilson was criticized for shouting “You lie!” during a joint session in 2009. In 2024 Wilson launched a campaign to locate the OSCE meeting in Charleston, a plan that seemed to have Wicker’s support.

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• 2024 – Wilson begins lobbying for Charleston as 2025 OSCE venue.

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• March 2024 – Wicker signs bipartisan letter seeking $4 million federal funding.

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• July 2, 2024 – Wicker tells Wilson Charleston cannot host.

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• July 2, 2024 – Wilson posts on X calling cancellation a “vicious rumor.”

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Wilson posted on X that preparations for a Charleston gathering were “well underway with widespread support,” dismissed the cancellation as a “vicious rumor,” and shared a photo with former President Donald Trump. Wicker’s texts declared the matter settled, told Wilson to stop “embarrassing yourself and the US delegation,” and instructed him to arrange alternative travel.

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The clash reveals internal Republican disagreement on foreign-policy logistics, may affect U.S. credibility in multilateral forums, and potentially opens the broader 2025 OSCE venue to Serbia.

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Wilson’s claim of a “vicious rumor” contrasts with the absence of an official explanation from the Senate Armed Services Committee, and the reasons Charleston was deemed unsuitable remain undisclosed.

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• “It was so disappointing to me that I didn't know he opposed the summer meeting till Thursday…. We've been soulmates until Thursday afternoon, and then, to be insulted that the arrangements for a catering have not been completed? I'm thinking, 'Hey, we can prepare shrimp and grits so quick it would make your head swim.'” — Joe Wilson, Rep.

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• “ Mueller continues, "'The matter is settled and no amount of your saying otherwise will change that,' Wicker responded in texts to Wilson that were obtained by Semafor.” — Roger Wicker, Sen.

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