It’s been 45 days since Governor Cooper and Democratic leaders proposed a detailed budget compromise, but instead of negotiating, House Republicans are preparing to stonewall until Christmas.
“Plenty to keep us busy through December,” Speaker Moore said yesterday. “I don’t see us, at this point, leaving unless we have overridden the veto or dealt with the budget in other ways.”
Since Republicans do not have the votes to override, the “other ways” were revealed later yesterday afternoon when the Senate announced plans to pass a series of mini budgets instead of negotiating a single spending plan.
Also yesterday, the Governor reiterated that his compromise proposal does not include any specific ultimatums and that he will review any legislation sent to his desk. Legislators are trying every trick in the book, including breaking up the budget into pieces, to avoid negotiating a compromise when they could simply make a counteroffer.
Where is the GOP Counteroffer?
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.