NC lawmakers still far away from passing new state budget

Raises for state employees are on hold until Republican leaders in the Senate and House of Representatives can reach a state budget deal.
Posted 8/27/2025, 11:31:25 PM Updated 8/28/2025, 12:00:07 AM

IT.

>> NORTH CAROLINA STILL DOES

NOT HAVE A STATE BUDGET.

I MEAN, YEAH, WE GET THAT THAT

LITTLE MINI BUDGET THAT THEY

PASSED LAST MONTH. BUT THERE'S

A WHOLE LOT RIDING ON GETTING

THE BIG COMPLETE A NEW BUDGET

FINISHED THINGS LIKE TEACHER

RAISES A NEW CHILDREN'S

HOSPITAL. TAX CUTS, MORE MONEY

FOR THE HEALTH PLAN AND SO MANY

OTHER THINGS I SPOKE TO WRAL,

STATE GOVERNMENT REPORTER PAUL

SPAIN. HE SAID THE HOLDUP IS A

DISAGREEMENT WITHIN THE

REPUBLICAN PARTY.

ALL RIGHT, PAUL, LET'S TALK

ABOUT THIS. SO THERE'S STILL NO

AGREEMENT ON A BUDGET. WHY

WOULD ALL STARTS WITH PERSONAL

INCOME TAXES AND HOW MUCH

LAWMAKERS WANT TO CUT? YOU HAVE

THE HOUSE.

>> THAT SAYS, HEY, YOU KNOW,

WE'RE HEADED TOWARD A FISCAL

CLIFF IN A COUPLE YEARS.

MAYBE WE SHOULD SLOW DOWN WITH

THIS PLAN WE HAD IN PLACE TO

KEEP CUTTING AND CUTTING AND

CUTTING THE SENATE. ON THE

OTHER HAND, HAS HISTORICALLY

BEEN MORE AGGRESSIVE AND IT

ALL, YOU KNOW, EVERYTHING ELSE

COMES AFTER THAT. WE CAN'T

FIGURE OUT STATE EMPLOYEE

RAISES. WE CAN'T FIGURE OUT

FUNDING FOR THE CHILDREN'S

HOSPITAL UNTIL THEY FIGURE OUT

HOW MUCH REVENUE THEY'RE GOING

TO HAVE AFTER THEY SET THAT

ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE

TALK ABOUT DISAGREEMENTS IN THE

STATE LEGISLATURE, IT'S OFTEN

BETWEEN REPUBLICANS AND

DEMOCRATS. THIS IS A LITTLE

DIFFERENT. THIS IS THIS IS

MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE MEMBERS

OF THE SENATE AND 2 TYPES OF

KIND OF

>> POSITIONS MOVING FORWARD

WHEN IT COMES TO TAXES. THAT'S

RIGHT. REPUBLICANS HAVE CONTROL

OF BOTH CHAMBERS. ONE THING

THAT THE HOUSE REPUBLICANS HAVE

AND THEIR POCKET AS THEY HAD

SUPPORT FROM DEMOCRATS THIS

TIME BECAUSE THEY PROPOSED

HIGHER TEACHER RAISES AND A

LITTLE MORE SPENDING. SO IT'S

INTERESTING TO SEE THAT THIS

TIME AND HOUSE DEMOCRATS TODAY

CAME OUT AND SORT OF POUNDED

THE TABLE. IT'S A CULTURE WAR

BILL THEY HAVE IS BACK IN THIS

BUILDING READY TO ROCK AND ROLL

AND NOT ONE OF THOSE BILLS PUTS

MORE MONEY IN YOUR POCKET.

NOT ONE OF THOSE BILLS BRINGS

YOUR PRICES. DALE, NOT ONE OF

THOSE BILLS. GET YOUR HEALTH

CARE COSTS UNDER CONTROL.

WE'RE SEEING THE PUBLIC

DISPLAYS OF DISAGREEMENT THERE.

BEHIND THE SCENES, THOUGH, IS

ANYTHING HAPPENING? ARE THEY

GETTING CLOSER TO SOME

COMPROMISE?

>> IT'S HARD TO TELL

>> THE PERSON I SPOKE WITH

TODAY SAID THAT HE HASN'T SEEN

MUCH PROGRESS AND EVEN SENATE

REPUBLICANS TODAY AND THEIR

STATEMENT. THEY SAID WE DON'T

LIKE NEGOTIATING THROUGH THE

PRESS BY PUTTING OUT STATEMENTS

THAT POINT THE FINGERS. BUT

WE NEED TO LET PEOPLE KNOW THAT

WE'VE PUT OUT SOME PROPOSALS

THAT THE HOUSE HAS A TAKING

STATE EMPLOYEES. THEY WANT

THEIR BIG. THEY WANT TO BE ABLE

TO HAVE THE RAISES. THEY WANT

TO KNOW WHAT THEIR FUTURE LOOKS

LIKE. WE WANT TO ADVOCATE FOR

THESE FOLKS, BUT WE HAVE TO LET

THE PROCESS PLAY OUT. YOU

MENTIONED THAT DATE IN

SEPTEMBER. IS THAT KIND OF THE

NEXT THING WE'RE WAITING FOR OR

IS THERE A POTENTIAL FOR

SOMETHING TO HAPPEN BEFORE

>> WITH THE BUDGET? NO, I DON'T

THINK SO. I THINK IT'S POSSIBLE

THAT THE NEXT TIME YOU SEE

STATE LEGISLATORS IN RALEIGH,

IT'S FOR OTHER BILLS. THEY HAVE

SOME

>> BILLS OUT THERE THAT DEAL

WITH GUNS AND CONCEALED CARRY.

NOW THEY COULD COME BACK AND

TRY TO OVERRIDE THE GOVERNOR'S

VETO ON THINGS LIKE THAT.

SO YOU CAN SEE HIM BACK HERE.

MAYBE NOT FOR RAISES FOR

TEACHERS AND STATE EMPLOYEES.