In an exclusive interview this week, representative Ralph Norman (R-SC) said that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) put “gears in place” for conservatives on the House Rules Committee to pull Ukrainian money from must-pass budget legislation.
Conservatives have raged against the inclusion of Ukrainian aid in must-pass proposals such as the $1.7 trillion omnibus spending plan and a stop-gap spending bill known as a continuing resolution (CR).
When asked if House Republicans on the House Rules Committee will try to remove Ukrainian funding from must-pass budget legislation, Norman replied, “We’re going to make sure that happens.”
“If it’s spending American funds, then each congressman will have to vote on it,” the South Carolina conservative added. “We simply will not allow them to bundle it on anything entirely off the radar that has anything to do with where the money is going.”
Speaker McCarthy was lauded by Norman for working with conservatives to get them on more powerful committees, such as House Rules.
“With us being on Rules, Kevin McCarthy has set the wheels in motion to make it happen,” Norman added. McCarthy has stated that he will not hand over a “blank check” to Ukraine.
Moreover, McCarthy called the package on the House floor, ahead of the omnibus vote, as a “slap in the face to every Citizen who voted.” He criticized the fact that the law will be enacted without involvement from House Republicans, whom the American people had elected to a majority in the House during the midterm elections.
Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY), Chip Roy (R-TX), and Norman are the three new conservatives on the Rules Committee.
Massie claimed in an early February interview that he, Norman, and Roy want to remove Ukraine funds from must-pass measures in Congress.
Rep. Norman also stated that there should be accountability for Ukrainian assistance spending and urged other countries to bear the burden of assisting Ukraine.
“We need to know where Ukraine is heading. Accountability should have occurred before any funds were awarded. But it wasn’t the case. And we must ensure that it is accurate. Second, we need to include other nations. I mean, America at least weighed in his money, which we don’t have, and this is simply adding to the national debt, which is the product that is this country’s Achilles Heel.”
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