NC Republicans rush to address public safety, but leave other critical business behind | Opinion
North Carolina lawmakers will return to Raleigh this week, where they’re expected to swiftly introduce legislation to address crime and public safety after a Ukrainian refugee was murdered while riding the light rail in Charlotte last month.
But while Republicans are eager to take action on new legislation, they’re leaving other important business unfinished.
North Carolina still doesn’t have an actual state budget, thanks to a months-long impasse between House and Senate Republicans that has delayed any sort of comprehensive spending plan. That impasse doesn’t show signs of letting up anytime soon. Lawmakers did pass a mini budget over the summer, but it did little to actually abate the situation.
That actual solution is long overdue, and time is running out. The biggest problem right now is Medicaid funding. The GOP’s mini budget created a massive Medicaid shortfall, allocating 25% less than what state health officials say is needed to essentially keep the lights on. That’s forced the state to make cuts to Medicaid that are scheduled to go into effect Oct. 1, unless lawmakers can work out a solution.
Those cuts include provider rate reductions that will save the state $320 million, but will also result in a loss of $1.1 billion in federal funding that would make the financial hit to Medicaid worse. State officials have warned that the rate reductions could drive providers out of the Medicaid program, threatening access to care.
That’s not the only reason why a budget needs to be lawmakers’ top priority. The lack of a real budget has left public schools in limbo, exacerbating uncertainty already caused by federal funding cuts. The mini budget covered any immediate needs and addressed increases in enrollment, but it put larger funding decisions on hold, forcing schools to leave some programs and positions unfunded or unfilled for now. One big source of uncertainty is not knowing what, if any, salary increases will be included in a final budget. Lawmakers say they want to include raises for teachers and state employees, but they can’t agree on the amount. Some school boards have had to make budget cuts — including changing school thermostat settings and cutting positions — because there isn’t enough local funding to make up for inadequate state funding. The issue is especially acute in rural school districts, where local governments don’t always have the financial resources to bridge funding gaps.
Unfortunately, the intraparty disputes that have held up budget negotiations thus far still seem to be at play now. Those disputes center around how much the budget should cut taxes. The News & Observer reported last week that while lawmakers don’t anticipate reaching a final budget deal anytime soon, they’ve begun work on another mini budget that would specifically target health care funding needs, including Medicaid, a rural health care initiative and funding promised long ago for a new children’s hospital. But even that package has hit a snag
As their return to Raleigh grows closer, GOP leaders have taken to social media to indirectly swipe at each other, with Senate leadership refusing to “go back to the days of tax-and-spend catastrophes” and House leadership vowing to “stand tall” and not “gamble away” North Carolina’s future.
But choosing to fund things like education and health care over unnecessary tax cuts isn’t a catastrophe, and North Carolina’s future can only be protected if you actually invest in it. There’s nothing wrong with Republicans making public safety a priority, but their sense of urgency can’t be limited to that one issue. As lawmakers, they need to be able to multitask. If they can produce a wide-ranging crime bill in a month, why has it taken them all year to produce a budget?
At a time when federal funding for critical services is so uncertain, it’s up to the state to provide some stability. Republicans have the opportunity now to do that.
