‘Limping along.’ NC budget impasse puts state’s advantage at risk, Gov. Stein says
North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein warned his state’s lack of a budget jeopardizes economic growth and critical services while pitching his own stop-gap plan in Charlotte on Thursday.
The Democratic governor rolled out his $1.4 billion “critical needs” proposal last week as the GOP-led General Assembly remains at a budget impasse. The plan includes funding for Medicaid and raises for state troopers, teachers and state employees.
Speaking to the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance on Thursday, Stein called on legislators to “fast track” his approach to “stabilize critical services today and help us lead into the future.”
“The state has kept operating at this baseline, limping along …” he said, pointing to the state’s low rankings for public school funding and law enforcement pay. “If we accept the status quo, we risk losing our competitive advantage that we’ve worked so hard to achieve.”
Earlier Thursday, Stein highlighted law enforcement funding in his plan while flanked by State Bureau of Investigation and Highway Patrol officials at an event outside Central Piedmont Community College. Stein’s pitch calls for $211 million in public safety spending, including raises for officers and court employees, $3.7 million for the State Bureau of Investigation and $80 million for the Department of Adult Correction.
“To keep people safe, we need more well-trained officers on the beat, in their communities, building trust and relationships. And to hire and keep the best people, we must adequately compensate them,” Stein said.
North Carolina’s Republican-controlled General Assembly failed to pass a budget in 2025 over differences between House and Senate leadership on how to implement future tax cuts.
Senate leader Phil Berger previously told the Raleigh News & Observer his chamber is willing to discuss legislation giving teachers and state employees raises, but that the House does not want to negotiate raises until they come to an agreement on whether to change up planned tax cuts.
A spokeswoman for House Speaker Destin Hall told the News & Observer in a statement on Stein’s proposal the House will “continue its work to address these needs when they return for the short session this spring” and that Stein’s proposed raises for teachers and law enforcement “are less than those already passed by the House.”
Stein also joined a celebration of the opening of PSA Airlines’ new Charlotte headquarters Thursday, heralding the new jobs created by the project.
Observer reporter Ryan Oehrli and News & Observer reporter Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan contributed to this story.
