Congressman Ralph Norman discusses Iran-Israel ceasefire, budget bill and possible SC governor bid

CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — South Carolina Congressman Ralph Norman says he is still weighing his options when it comes to running for Governor.

The state’s Attorney General Alan Wilson announced his candidacy on Monday. Norman joined Chief Political Correspondent Andy Weber from Washington for a one-on-one interview on a range of topics.

“Well, I know Alan, he is a friend of mine, he’s a good candidate. My announcement on what I’m going to do will come Sunday, July 27, and I will reveal what I’m doing then.”

Norman also reacted to a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, which came days after a U.S. strike against Iranian nuclear facilities. That ceasefire seemed shaky initially after both sides traded fire, despite reaching an agreement. Norman expects the ceasefire to hold.

“I don’t know what more Iran could do. They should have negotiated weeks before they finally did. But it took bombing and taking out the nuclear facility, and they made no secret of what they wanted to do, which was death to America,” he said.

This week in Washington, lawmakers are still trying to pass a budget bill backed by the President. Norman was on board with what the House passed weeks ago, but is concerned about some changes proposed by the Senate. To have his support, Norman said the budget cannot include tax credits for energy from wind, solar, or electric vehicles.

“The big things are subsidies, from wind and solar to electric cars to so many things that should not be exempted. I know on nuclear power, which is important to South Carolina, we’ve got to have a date, not construction date, but a date of service where we actually get utilities before you can get any subsidy from the federal government,” said Norman.

Republican leadership wants a budget on the president’s desk by July 4.