House Speaker Destin Hall offers the Republican response to Democratic Gov. Josh Stein's first State of the State address

Good evening

I'm Dustin Hall Speaker of the North Carolina House of

Representatives

Like me many of you watched President Trump deliver his

address to the nation last week

We saw DC Democrats screaming and shouting while the president

addressed the nation

Democrats refused to stand and applaud even when a child

with cancer was recognized for his bravery

But as Governor Stein gave his state of the state

address tonight you saw a different tone from Republicans in

the state legislature who refused to let petty partisanship eclipse

the moment

While we may have strong disagreements with Governor Stein on

important issues Republicans understand that real leaders don't need to

shout down the opposition and that real leadership means being

willing to listen even where we may disagree

But if North Carolina Democrats want to continue the same

old failed policies of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris policies

that left our borders open to criminal illegal aliens sent

inflation soaring and allowed grown men to compete in women's

sports we won't stand for it

Voters in North Carolina and across the country made it

clear in November

You rejected the radical agenda of the left because you

believe as I do that our state and our nation

deserve better

The Republican-led General Assembly will continue to stand for common

sense for families and for the values that make North

Carolina strong

Governor Stein presented his vision tonight

So let me be very clear about ours

Republicans in the General Assembly are focused on building our

economy rebuilding Western North Carolina investing in education and working

with ICE to remove criminal illegal aliens from our state

For 14 years the Republican-led General Assembly has shown what

bold conservative leadership can achieve

We've cracked the code on how to deliver common sense

policies that fuel growth and protect our communities

We cut taxes leaving more money in the hands of

working families and entrepreneurs

We've cut red tape that chokes small businesses and drives

up housing costs because every North Carolinian should have the

opportunity to get a good job and afford a home

We're also promoting reliable low cost energy like natural gas

and nuclear power ensuring that families aren't overburdened with skyrocketing

electricity bills

We stood by law enforcement and made our state safer

by rejecting the Democrats' dangerous sanctuary policies that shield illegal

aliens from justice

And there's plenty more to do from tackling crime in

our state to making everyday life more affordable eliminating DEI

and state agencies and taking on long the long hard

work of rebuilding after Hurricane Helene

However the results speak for themselves

Despite the nation's economic strain of biomics and inflation North

Carolina has remained an economic powerhouse

Thanks to Republican leadership

North Carolinians have kept more of their hard earned money

in their pockets

Thanks to that leadership we've cut poverty in the state

by nearly 3% in the past 12 years and thanks

to that leadership our state is consistently ranked as one

of the best states for business

When sound conservative policies focus on the needs of the

people success follows

And now under President Trump's leadership with a clear mandate

from the American people our nation is entering a new

golden age of strength and prosperity by pursuing policies that

mirror North Carolina's own method of success and common sense

President Trump's immigration policies will have the full support of

the North Carolina General Assembly

Just last year the Republican General Assembly enacted legislation that

requires law enforcement to cooperate with ICE to keep criminal

illegal aliens off of our streets but many Democratic officials

in our state still want to keep pursuing the same

failed open borders policies of the Biden administration

So just this week we introduced new legislation to close

loop loopholes exploited by those who would seek to turn

North Carolina into a sanctuary state

If local sheriffs avoid cooperating with federal ICE officials the

citizens of this state will hold you accountable

And if you're an illegal alien committing crimes in our

state you gotta go

This is a common sense policy that the people of

our state overwhelmingly agree with

Another common sense issue is that men shouldn't be in

women's sports or in their private spaces long before President

Trump's executive order the North Carolina General Assembly passed the

Save Women's Sport Sports Act to keep men out of

women's sports

It's also common sense to work to ensure every child

in North Carolina has access to quality education that's right

for them regardless of their income or zip code

As we expand educational opportunities let's expand opportunities in the

traditional K through 12 system so that parents have excellent

options whether they choose public or private schools ultimately it's

parents not bureaucrats who should choose the best learning environment

for their children

But supporting opportunity in education doesn't mean turning our backs

on our dedicated public school teachers which is why the

Republican-led General Assembly has consistently invested and will continue to

invest even more in meaningful teacher races ensuring North Carolina

continues to attract talented and passionate educators

Expanding opportunity and supporting our teachers are not competing goals

They're two sides of the same coin

Empowering families and investing in our teachers builds a stronger

brighter future for all of North Carolina's children

We'll also continue to invest in our university and community

college systems which are the best in the world

While low taxes are important North Carolina's best asset is

the people of our state

Investing in education draws businesses to our state because of

our quality and educated workforce

While the left tries to paint President Trump and the

North Carolina General Assembly as extremists the people of our

state agree that policies like secure borders law and order

school choice cutting taxes to keep more of our hard

earned money and keeping men out of women's sports are

just plain common sense

But as we celebrate our state's accomplishments we must also

recognize the resilience of the people of Western North Carolina

Last September Hurricane Helene devastated the region turning peaceful mountain

towns into disaster zones

Over 100 men and women lost their lives and thousands

lost their homes jobs businesses and their very way of

life

Then came the disaster after after the disaster when the

Biden and Cooper administrations were too slow in their response

to Helene

Families were left without shelter internet or cell service for

weeks

Bridges and roads were impassable trapping many

The people of Western North Carolina deserve better

But through this adversity we saw the true American spirit

shine through neighbors helping neighbors strangers becoming family and heroes

emerging in every corner of our communities heroes like Doctor

Alissa Tilley who helped set up a field hospital in

Yancey County to care for the injured

Heroes like Kenneth Clanton a veteran who selfishly drove fellow

servicemen to work through Western North Carolina's damaged and debris

filled roads and other heroes from across North Carolina too

numerous to name who still donate countless hours to help

those in need to rebuild their roads their bridges and

ultimately their lives

The lesson from all of this is clear when government

fails the people step up

North Carolinians don't wait for handouts that may never come

We roll up our sleeves and get the job done

The General Assembly has made Helene recovery our top priority

and we're working tirelessly to support our neighbors in the

western part of the state

Just recently the House passed our 4th Helene bill with

an additional $500 million in recovery funds and we're not

done

We're going to continue to support Western North Carolina for

as long as it takes to rebuild and together we

will rebuild stronger than before

I look forward to working in partnership with Governor Stein

who I know shares my desire to get people back

in their homes as quickly as possible

He and I both recognize the long road ahead and

the need for us all to rise to the moment

setting aside petty partisanship for the sake of our neighbors

As we rebuild western North Carolina rest assured we will

not repeat the mistakes of the Cooper administration's failed response

to Hurricanes Florence and Matthew

Almost a decade later thousands of people in eastern North

Carolina are still being forced to live in hotels

That is completely unacceptable and it should be a national

scandal

We cannot and we will not let that happen again

anywhere in our state whether you're a Republican or a

Democrat the challenges we face across party lines the challenges

of Hurricane Helene alone certainly bear that out

But we can all agree that North Carolina's success is

our own more freedom breeds more opportunity and growth by

cutting taxes and regulations growing jobs protecting our values and

standing for law and order

North Carolina Republicans have set the standard for responsible leadership

that puts people first

North Carolina has proven that when conservatives lead with the

courage people prosper

Everything President Trump has fought for tax cuts deregulation protecting

values and enforcing the law North Carolina Republicans have delivered

on as we enter a new era from North Carolina

the General Assembly will continue to build on the policies

that have made our success the envy of the nation

May God bless America our state and our people

Good evening