It’s been 36 days since Governor Roy Cooper shared a balanced compromise budget offer with Republican legislators. And 36 days later, Republican leaders have not shared any counteroffer to keep the budget process moving forward. Yesterday, the House once again put the veto override on the calendar and did not take any action on it.
Where is the Republican counteroffer and when will Republican legislative leaders drop their veto override attempts and actually negotiate?
It is time for Republican legislators to get to work instead of spending their time playing power politics with a veto override for which they do not have the votes and convincing North Carolinians that the budget impasse is solely because of Medicaid expansion. In an editorial, the Transylvania Times lays out the importance of Republican legislators coming to the table and making a counteroffer:
Good governments meet the needs of all the people, not just one party or those who donate to political parties. Expanding Medicaid coverage would help meet the health insurance needs of more than a half million state residents.
Good government is about compromise. People have diverse needs and wants. Cooper already has accepted many of the proposals in the Republican budget and has made counter-proposals in many of the areas in which they disagree. It is time now for the Republican leadership to come to the table with their counter-proposals and negotiate a compromise budget so that state agencies and employees can move forward in meeting the needs of the residents of North Carolina.
Governor Cooper’s compromise offer can be found HERE. It would close the health care coverage gap, raise teacher pay, cut taxes for people and guarantee school construction while balancing the budget and saving money in the Rainy Day Fund.
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