President Donald Trump was right to cancel a planned meeting with Democrat leadership, Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., told Newsmax, because the Democrats aren't "serious" about averting a government shutdown. "Until they get serious," he said, Republicans won't be able to strike a deal with them on a continuing resolution to fund the government past midnight on Oct. 1.
"What they're doing is trying to use leverage and increase over $1 trillion of new spending, such as transgender surgeries, having illegals get on Medicaid, and other things that are rolling back everything that the Republicans passed without any Democrat help," Norman said Wednesday on Newsmax's "Wake Up America." "The president is exactly right to cancel any type of meeting with them. They're not serious. All they want to do is blame Donald Trump for a shutdown, when, in reality, it's what they're doing. It's not what the president's doing, nor the Republican Congress."
The South Carolina Republican said that the Democrats have apparently learned nothing from the 2024 election and are pushing for all the things that voters rejected last year when they elected Trump, who promised to end them.
"They're clueless," Norman said. "They don't have any agenda to run on other than they hate Donald Trump, and what they're doing is showing the American people they have no plan other than spending hard-earned tax money. And, by the way, the trillion is all borrowed money. It's not like we've got some treasure trove to draw from.
"And, even if we did, the things they want to spend it for are ludicrous. Seventy-seven million people didn't vote for that, and that's why they put the Democrats out of office, and we'll keep them out of office because they have no plan other than spending your money for ludicrous things.
"If they come back to the bargaining table, it's got to be something in writing that makes sense," he added. "What they put out there does not make sense."
Norman, who sits on the House Financial Services Committee, said he's confident that "the American people see through" Democrat attempts to shift the blame for the looming shutdown to the Republicans. The House passed a stopgap funding bill last week, he said, which the Democrats in the Senate have rejected.
"They want to do anything they can, and I imagine when they come back to Congress, come back to Washington this coming week, all you'll hear is rhetoric on how the Republicans are shutting the government down and it's just not true," the congressman said.
GET TODAY NEWSMAX+:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America with more than 30 million people watching!
Reuters Institute reports NEWSMAX is one of the top news brands in the U.S.
You need to watch NEWSMAX today.
Get it with great shows from Rob Schmitt, Greta Van Susteren, Greg Kelly, Carl Higbie, Rob Finnerty – and many more!
Find the NEWSMAX channel on your cable system – Go Here Now
BEST OFFER:
Sign up for NEWSMAX+ and get NEWSMAX, our streaming channel NEWSMAX2 and our military channel World at War.
Find hundreds of shows, movies and specials.
Even get Jon Voight's special series and President Trump's comedy programs and much more!
Watch NEWSMAX+ on your smartphone or home TV app.
Watch NEWSMAX anytime, anywhere!
Start your FREE trial now: NewsmaxPlus.com
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.