East Wake Times

With the budget fight between North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and Republicans who control the General Assembly showing no signs of easing, the state could be forced to continue operating without a fully funded state budget in place.  

Republican Sen. Phil Berger, Senate President Pro Tempore, recently announced he sees no path forward due to the governor’s unwavering demands for Medicaid expansion.

Through it all, many of the GOP budget priorities have been enacted into law through stand-alone “mini-budget” bills, though significant items such as critical funds to convert the Medicaid system to a managed care system remain outstanding.

As the chasm has grown wider, the Civitas Institute sees Cooper as having become his own worst enemy.

“The governor’s veto and his poor negotiating tactics via the press have made further deal-making on the issue impossible,” the government watchdog posted on its website. “It would be legislative malpractice for the state Senate to now deal with Gov. Cooper on the budget issue for the foreseeable future. It would make negotiations on all contested matters more complicated. Senate Democrats would have every reason to walk away from the bargaining table before the bargaining ever begins and let the governor issue more vetoes.”