Ralph Norman Defends His Flip-Flop On ‘Big Beautiful Bill’

by WILL FOLKS

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South Carolina fifth district congressman Ralph Norman – the latest entry into the Palmetto State’s 2026 governor’s race – is defending his recent flip-flop on U.S. president Donald Trump‘s signature legislative “accomplishment,” the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill.”

Norman was a vocal opponent of Trump’s budget-busting bill… until he wasn’t.

“We can’t keep mortgaging our future,” Norman said in announcing his opposition to the legislation, correctly noting the bill was “poisoned by bad spending” and would “blow up the deficit.”

Less than 48 hours after making these pronouncements, though, Norman cast one of the pivotal votes in favor of the bill – and has since championed it as a saving grace for South Carolina businesses.

What was different about the bill Norman blasted versus the bill he voted for? Nothing…

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However, during an interview with independent journalist Jackson Gosnell, Norman claimed to have pulled off some sort of Trump-style “Art of the Deal” in negotiating a better package for the people of the Palmetto State. He further indicated his resistance was only for show – and that he would have “never” actually voted against the package.

Translation? Norman jerked those of us who care about fiscal responsibility around… and revealed himself to be nothing but a bluffer in the process.

“I was a holdout to get a better bill,” Norman told Gosnell. “President Trump negotiates like that. Anybody in business negotiates like that. So, at different times I was a holdout but I would have never let this bill not get passed so that the American people had tax relief, and the American people were protected with the ‘Gold Dome’ and the military funding that was going to take illegals out of the country.”

“It was a great day for Americans – a great day for South Carolina,” Norman continued, referencing the bill’s signing ceremony on July 4, 2025.

Was it, though?

In an editorial published shortly after this legislation was signed, I called Trump’s latest fiscal betrayal “a monument to fiscal recklessness and irresponsibility.” Specifically, I cited the estimated $4-6 trillion in new deficit spending it will add over the coming decade – red ink which is coming on top of existing deficit spending and the nation’s astronomical $37.15 trillion debt.

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RELATED | ANOTHER BIG, UGLY BETRAYAL

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Once a “tomorrow” problem, escalating interest on this massive mountain of debt is crippling federal budgets – assuming a debilitating percentage of annual spending. Like his many prior fiscal sellouts, Trump’s bill did nothing to reverse this trend. Instead, it accelerated the collapse.

Every single American taxpayer is currently on the hook for $323,053 worth of government debt. That’s more than four times the median household income in our country last year. Trump launched his populist movement with promises to end deficit spending, pay down the debt and cut middle class taxes. Instead he’s ballooned deficits, exploded the debt and disproportionately targeted tax relief to the wealthiest Americans.

And we wonder why the center is struggling to hold?

Prior to the passage of this new law, interest payments on the national debt were projected to climb by $13.8 trillion over the coming decade – rising from $1 trillion in the current fiscal year to $1.8 trillion annually by 2035, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB). By contrast, interest on the debt was “only” $345 billion in 2020.

With Trump’s bill ballooning federal spending further, interest payments are going to surge even higher. Curiously, Norman referenced these interest payments in his very next comment to Gosnell…

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Congressman Ralph Norman tells me why he held out on the “big beautiful bill,” what’s next for Trump’s agenda — and teases a MAJOR announcement coming soon. ??? https://t.co/9LyItRkPX0@RepRalphNorman @RalphNorman @RepublicanStudy pic.twitter.com/TAspgSo3Pz

— Jackson Gosnell (@jacksongosnell) July 25, 2025

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“One thing I’ve realized in Washington is you have politicians and bureaucrats who think the tax money is their money – it’s the people’s money,” he said. “And especially when we’re at the situation now where our interest on our debt exceeds our military budget. Now think about that. Interest – just interest only – exceeds the military budget. We can’t continue.”

Indeed. We can’t continue… yet that’s exactly what Norman voted to do.

In other words, he talked the talk – but didn’t walk the walk.

“I continue to negotiate and it’s an honor to do it,” Norman said. “At the end of the day, we passed the best bill – and I know I’ve done everything I can to get the best bill that I can to the benefit of the constituents of South Carolina.”

That’s the problem, though. This wasn’t the best bill. It wasn’t even close to the best bill. It was kicking a can into the wall at the end of a dead end road. And if Norman expects his candidacy for governor to gain any traction whatsoever, he’s going to have to do a hell of a lot better than pretending his profile in cowardice was some sort of masterclass in political dealmaking. Because it wasn’t… it was just another politician proving his word isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on.

Kind of like our money…

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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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