Exclusive – Rep. Ralph Norman: McCarthy Set ‘Gears in Place’ to Strip Ukraine Aid from Must-Pass Spending Bills

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 06: U.S. House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) (R) Rep.-e
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Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) told Breitbart News in an exclusive interview this week that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) set the “gears in place” for conservatives on the House Rules Committee to strip Ukraine aid from must-pass spending bills.

Norman spoke to Breitbart News as conservatives have railed against the inclusion of Ukraine aid in must-pass bills, such as the $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bills and a stop-gap spending bill, otherwise known as a continuing resolution (CR).

Asked if House conservatives on the House Rules Committee would move to strip Ukraine aid from must-pass spending bills, Norman said, “We’re going to make sure it happens.”

The South Carolina conservative elaborated, “If it’s spending American dollars, then each representative is going to have to take a vote on it. We’re simply not going to let them bundle it up on something completely off the radar with having anything to do with where the money’s going.”

Norman credited Speaker McCarthy for working with conservatives to have them on more influential committees, such as  House Rules.

“Kevin McCarthy has set the gears in place to make that happen with us being on Rules,” Norman said. McCarthy has promised that he would not grant a “blank check” to Ukraine.

Further, on the House floor, ahead of the omnibus vote, McCarthy described the bill as a “slap in the face to every American that voted.” He decried that the bill would be passed without input from House Republicans, whom the American people had given the House majority during the midterm elections.

Norman and Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Chip Roy (R-TX) serve as the three new Rules Committee conservatives.

Massie told Breitbart News in an early February interview that he believes he, Norman, and Roy would strip Ukraine funding from Congress’s must-pass bills.

Rep. Norman also said that there should be accountability for the Ukraine aid spending and called on other nations to share the burden of aiding Ukraine.

“On Ukraine, we need to know where it’s going. Accountability should have been before money was even allocated. But it wasn’t. And we got to make sure that it’s accurate. Secondly, we’ve got to get other countries involved. I mean, America at least weighed in his money we don’t have this is just adding to the national debt, which is the product which is the Achilles Heel for this country.”

Sean Moran is a policy reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.

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