What's the hold up on North Carolina's new budget?
GO DOWN TO ABOUT 3 MILLION
DEAD. OKAY. APRIL 1ST. SO I
GUESS WE'LL BE PAYING
ATTENTION. ERIC, THANK YOU.
I DO WANT TO GET TO A GOOD
QUESTION THAT WE GOT SOME FROM
FROM SOME VIEWERS IN THE
07:00PM IN INBOX. LOTS OF
PEOPLE WRITING IN THE 07:00PM
AT WRAL DOT COM.
>> A VIEWER NAMED MICHAEL ROAD.
AND WHAT'S THE HOLDUP WITH THE
STATE BUDGET? YES, CHRISTINE
WANTED TO KNOW TO SHE WROTE,
I WAS WONDERING IF YOU CAN DO A
STORY ON THE STATE BUDGET AND
HOW WE ARE STILL WITHOUT ONE
AND GREGORY, RIGHT, WRITING
THAT NO ONE WANTS TO TALK ABOUT
WHY NORTH CAROLINA DOESN'T HAVE
A BUDGET. CAN SOMEONE PLEASE
HELP ME WITH YOU KNOW, LOOK, IT
KIND OF SOUNDS LIKE LOTS OF
PEOPLE DO WANT TO TALK ABOUT
THE BUDGET. AND YES, WE CAN
HELP YOU WITH THIS BECAUSE
RIGHT NOW AS A REALLY GOOD TIME
TO BRING THE SHOP'S SENATE
LEADER. PHIL BERGER JUST LOST
THAT PRIMARY RACE TO SAM PAGE.
BERGER IS A MAJOR FACTOR IN
THE BUDGET NEGOTIATIONS AND HE
WILL BE OUT OF THE LEGISLATURE
NEXT YEAR. SO WHAT DOES THAT
MEAN FOR THE BUDGET OR LACK
OF ONE. DOES HIS ELECTION LOSS
MOVED THE NEEDLE AT ALL.
AND LIKE MICHAEL SAID, WHAT
IS THE HOLDUP IN THE FIRST
PLACE? ASHLEY ROSE SPOKE TO
WRAL. STATE GOVERNOR REPORTER
WILL DOOR.
WILL WE GET SO MANY QUESTIONS
ABOUT THE BUDGET? TELL US WHERE
THINGS STAND RIGHT NOW. IT
DOESN'T LOOK LIKE THINGS HAVE
CHANGED.
>> NO, YOU'RE RIGHT. THIS FOR
MONTHS WE HAVE GONE WITHOUT A
NEW STATE BUDGET LEGISLATURE
COMES BACK NEXT MONTH OF APRIL.
SO WE MAY KNOW MORE THAN
GOVERNOR STEIN HAS BEEN
PRESSING LAWMAKERS.
>> TO GO AHEAD, IMPASSIVELY
SOMETHING YOU SAID A FULL
BUDGET. YOU KNOW, JUST SOME
CRITICAL NEEDS THAT HE'S
OUTLINED. BUT THERE'S REALLY NO
SENSE YET THAT REPUBLICAN
LEADERS IN THE HOUSE AND SENATE
ARE GOING TO LISTEN TO HIM.
THEY ARE STILL VERY MUCH AT
ODDS OVER TAX POLICY. SO WE
DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW MUCH THE
STATE MIGHT HAVE TO SPEND LET
ALONE WHERE AND HOW WE'RE GONNA
SPEND THAT MONEY. ONE OF THE
MAIN LEADERS WHO HAS BEEN A
PART OF THESE BUDGET
NEGOTIATIONS IS SENATE LEADER
PHIL BERGER. WE NOW KNOW THAT
HE LOST THE PRIMARY. HE
CONCEDED THIS WEEK.
>> AND WITH THAT CONCESSION,
KNOWING THAT HE IS KIND OF OUT
OF THE PICTURE, AT LEAST NEXT
YEAR, MOVING FORWARD, WHAT DOES
THAT? HOW DOES THAT PLAY INTO
THESE BUDGET NEGOTIATIONS?
IT'S A FASCINATING QUESTION AND
ONE THAT'S GOING TO PLAY OUT
OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS.
THE YOU KNOW, THIS WHOLE SPRING
SESSION THAT THE LEGISLATURE IS
GOING TO HAVE.
>> COULD BE FILLED BURGERS.
LAST HURRAH AFTER 30 YEAR
POLITICAL CAREER, IT IS TIME
TO CEMENT HIS LEGACY AND SO
WILL HE FACE MORE PRESSURE TO
NEGOTIATE A BUDGET ACTUALLY GET
SOMETHING DONE OR WILL HE SAY,
YOU KNOW, I I LIKE WHERE THINGS
ARE RIGHT NOW BECAUSE IF WE
DON'T HAVE A BUDGET, THEN TAX
CUTS ARE GOING TO CONTINUE
GOING INTO PLACE. HE LIKES TAX
CUTS. HE COULD HAVE SOME
INCENTIVES NOT TO NEGOTIATE AT
ALL. SO WE DON'T KNOW YET
EXACTLY HOW THIS IS ALL GOING
PLAY OUT. BUT IT IS JUST A
FASCINATING POLITICAL QUESTION
NOW THAT WE DO HAVE THIS KIND
OF TICKING CLOCK DOWN TOWARDS
THE END OF HIS CAREER. NOT ONLY
ARE WE WATCHING THAT TICKING
CLOCK TOWARDS THE END OF HIS
CAREER, BUT WE'RE ALSO WATCHING
WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THE THE
DOLLARS AND CENTS IN OUR STATE
GOVERNMENT.
>> AND THE FORECAST IS NOT
LOOKING GREAT. THERE. NO, EVEN
BEFORE PHIL BERGER, LEE'S
OFFICE, WHICH WILL BE IN
JANUARY IN JULY, THE START OF
THE NEW FISCAL YEAR. THE
STATE'S ECONOMY IS JUST SAID
THIS WEEK THAT WE'RE ACTUALLY
EXPECTING TO START LOSING
MONEY. HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF
DOLLARS LESS FOR THE NEXT
FISCAL YEAR THAN WE'VE GOT TO
SPEND THIS YEAR. SO, YOU KNOW,
COULD THAT ACESS TO TAKE CUTS
TO STATE SPENDING, POSSIBLY?
>> IT COULD ALSO MEAN THAT WE
JUST PUT LESS MONEY INTO
SAVINGS. YOU KNOW, WHICH HURTS
OUR ABILITY TO RESPOND TO
RECESSIONS ARE, YOU KNOW, BIG
STORMS IN THE FUTURE. BUT I
MEAN, VERY REAL QUESTIONS
COMING UP AGAIN, LITERALLY IN A
FEW MONTHS. AND IN JULY WHEN WE
COULD START SEEING ALL THESE
CUTS GOING INTO PLACE, YOU TALK
ABOUT CUTS TO STATE GOVERNMENT.
>> HOW MUCH OF THAT HAS TO DO
WITH THE LACK OF WHAT BECAUSE
OF THE TAX CUTS ISSUE WITH THE
BUDGET OF THE STATES.
ECONOMISTS HAVE IDENTIFIED
EXACTLY THE TAX CUTS AND THIS
IS A BIPARTISAN TEAM. BOTH
REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS.
>> WORKING ON THIS ANALYSIS
ISHAN THEY'VE SAID, YOU KNOW,
FOR YEARS, YOU KNOW, EVEN
THOUGH WE HAVE BEEN CUTTING
TAXES AND NORTH CAROLINA
ANNUALLY FOR THE LAST 15 YEARS,
WE'VE HAD ENOUGH MONEY BECAUSE
OUR POPULATION HAS BEEN
GROWING. WAGES BEEN GROWING TO
KEEP UP. BUT WE'RE FINALLY
HITTING THAT MARK WHERE THE TAX
CUTS HAVE GOTTEN TOO AGGRESSIVE
AND THE POPULATION GROWTH AND
WAGE GROWTH JUST HASN'T KEPT