Despite no budget, Republicans say current status is ‘adequate’ after leaving Raleigh

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — With no final budget in sight, lawmakers are leaving Raleigh this week and not planning any more votes for the rest of the year.

“It’s a simple fact we haven’t been able to reach an agreement on additional matters for the budget, and we continue to have conversations,” top Republican Senator Phil Berger said.

Democrats in both chambers say Republicans wasted time this week by passing a newly drawn Congressional map to benefit their own party instead of focusing on a budget or fully funding Medicaid.

“We can pass any bill we want, do anything that we want, so why don’t we do things to help people?” said Rep. Robert Reives.

Republicans control both the House and the Senate in North Carolina. But leaders in both chambers can’t come to agreements on major budget points, including taxes and Medicaid.

“There are certain things that our members feel that the House needs to comply with agreements that were previously made and we work through majorities here and the majorities have determined that what the House is willing to do is not what the Senate is willing to do,” Senator Berger said.

“All I can say is our end of the chamber, we are willing to negotiate on all the key points and that’s not reciprocated on the other side,” Republican House Speaker Destin Hall said.

Top Republicans say they’re comfortable not passing a budget before the end of 2025 because they say the most time-sensitive matters are handled in so-called mini budgets.

“What’s left are the things that are still really important, like state employees and teacher salaries, salaries for law enforcement, and again we don’t have agreement on those things,” Representative Hall said.

“If we can’t get agreement on anything beyond what we have, then what we have is certainly adequate of the functioning of state government at this time,” Senator Berger said.

Democrats say it’s not nearly enough.

“We have a continuing resolution budget, what I tell you is there are a lot of nonrecurring funds that have ceased, and that companies are firing people, nonprofits are firing people, food banks are bare, teachers aren’t getting raises, there are foster kids who are waiting for permanency right now,” Democratic Senator Sydney Batch said.