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Days away from announcing his candidacy for governor of South Carolina, U.S. congressman Ralph Norman signaled his opposition to an amended version of U.S. president Donald Trump‘s “One Big Beautiful Bill.”
“We’ve got a lot of wins in the One Big Beautiful Bill,” Norman wrote on X. “But let’s be honest: the spending provisions in this thing are massive and will blow up the deficit. We can’t keep mortgaging our future.”
The version of the legislation (H.R. 1) which narrowly cleared the U.S. Senate this week would add $3.4 trillion in new deficit spending over the coming decade, according to an analysis from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). That’s well above the $2.8 trillion in new deficit spending contained in the version of the bill which cleared the House earlier this year.
The current federal debt is $37.05 trillion – well above the nation’s gross domestic product of nearly $30 trillion.
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“We need to ensure good policy isn’t poisoned by bad spending,” Norman added. “Congress should prioritize fiscal responsibility, transparency, and results. NOT rushed deals.”
Norman also ripped the bill for inserting eco-radical “Green New Deal” subsidies.
“Tax credits that favor select industries, like wind and solar, create an unlevel playing field and distort our economy,” he wrote. “No more handouts, no more favorites.”
Norman is a member of the House Freedom Caucus, which issued a statement strongly opposing the Senate version of the bill.
“The House budget framework was clear: no new deficit spending in the One Big Beautiful Bill,” the group noted. “The Senate’s version adds $651 billion to the deficit — and that’s before interest costs, which nearly double the total. That’s not fiscal responsibility. It’s not what we agreed to. The Senate must make major changes and should at least be in the ballpark of compliance with the agreed upon House budget framework. Republicans must do better.”
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RELATED | TRUMP SHOULD FOLLOW FISCAL CONSERVATIVES
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Indeed they must. FITSNews has been sounding the alarm on this clear and present danger for more than a decade, although politicians of both parties have refused to heed the warnings.
“Within a decade, America will be staring down between $800 billion and $1 trillion in annual interest payments on its debt,” I noted in a column addressing this issue published back in June … of 2013.
Unlike many reflexively sycophantic, fawningly obsequious “conservative” media outlets, FITSNews consistently chided Trump on fiscal issues during his first term… and during the four years he was out of office our outlet repeatedly pointed out how ‘Bidenflation’ (i.e. soaring inflation linked to Trump’s successor/predecessor, Joe Biden) was partially Trump’s fault.
Earlier this year, I penned a column calling out Trump for his attacks on fiscal conservatives like U.S. congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky – who, unlike the president, are pushing to make broad, permanent cuts to government spending in an effort to balance the federal budget for the first time in a quarter century.
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“In the fight to restore some semblance of fiscal sanity to our government, politicians are either part of the problem or part of the solution,” I wrote. “Massie is part of the solution, and the fact Trump is attacking him for that – threatening to oust him from office, in fact – is depressingly telling.”
Thankfully, erstwhile Trump ally Elon Musk – who has blasted the “One Big Beautiful Bill” as “utterly insane” and “political suicide” – has vowed to financially support those fiscal conservatives opposed by Trump. Musk has ripped the bill for refusing to rein in spending and raising the federal debt ceiling by another $5 trillion.
“Hitting the debt ceiling is the only thing that will actually force the government to cut waste and fraud,” Musk wrote on his platform. “That’s why the debt ceiling legislation exists!”
Could Musk’s list of political beneficiaries include Norman? And might his support extend to Norman’s gubernatorial ambitions in South Carolina?
Norman, 71, of Rock Hill, S.C. has represented the Palmetto State’s fifth congressional district in Washington, D.C. since June 20, 2017 – when he narrowly won a special election to fill the seat vacated by former White House chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney. He’s been reelected four times since then – facing only token Democrat opposition along the way.
Norman is one of four top tier contenders for this office – joining first district congresswoman Nancy Mace, four-term attorney general Alan Wilson and lieutenant governor Pamela Evette.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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8 comments
This article mentions, with great accuracy, that this bill will add to the deficit. However, it attributes that primarily to its failure to cut spending, and not to the extensions and additions to tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy. The coin has two sides, and the House Freedom Caucus is only speaking in half-truths.
If I ever forget how highly you think of yourself, I just have to read one of your articles. Half of every article on here is you going on and on about how you and your blog have been doing blah blah blah for years unlike those other mainstream news sites.
Ever wonder why you have to spend so much real estate convincing us you aren’t just a propaganda rag?
“FITSNews consistently chided Trump on fiscal issues”
And that’s the ONLY thing fizznews has ever chided Trump on.
Let the corporate/billionaire tax cuts sunset and that goes a long way towards solving the problem. Easy peasy.
Surprise! Surprise! Abnormal Norman will be the one person in the race who has literally NOT DONE ANYTHING in his political career. Seriously, check his record. NEVER PASSED ONE SINGLE BILL, NADA, ZERO. He never passed a bill in the SC General assembly or in eight years in DC. NOTHING! He just plays the NO game, but he was elected to govern. He is an abysmal failure. No one trusts him, but the little political groups that control him. His tagline will be “Owned by Tyrants!”
Can we please stop calling Pam Evette a serious candidate? If she breaks double digits, its a miracle
And Ralph Norman……caves again. What a surprise. Coward!
RINO Ralph! A shitty Representative who wants to be a shitty Governor.
Patricia and Observer keep preaching the truth. Can you imagine Abnormal Norman picking Cray Cray Cromer as his running mate. SC would sink faster than shit going down a toilet. Seriously, how do these unqualified people who have never accomplished anything- ever, get elected.