North Carolina Justice Center condemns harmful state budget and rushed process

RALEIGH (July 7, 2026) – The North Carolina Justice Center strongly condemns the state budget enacted today. Long-overdue teacher raises and desperately needed disaster recovery funds do not erase the harm lawmakers have chosen to inflict on our state. And once again, hardworking people are asked to pay more while drastic tax cuts in this budget benefit corporations and the wealthy few. Make no mistake: this is not a people-first budget.

Moreover, the process that produced this budget failed to meet the basic standards of an open democracy. After taking more than a year to reach an agreement, lawmakers rushed a bill spanning over 1,000 pages through the legislature in 48 hours with no opportunity for public scrutiny or input. The Governor then acted without using the full 10-day review period, further cutting short the opportunity for North Carolinians to understand the budget’s far-reaching consequences and make their voices heard.

Those consequences include shamefully rolling back decades of progress toward a more equitable North Carolina. The budget underfunds public schools and hands public money to school voucher programs. It dismantles offices that ensure every North Carolinian is treated fairly regardless of race or zip code. It undermines access to legal help for people who cannot afford an attorney and fails to meaningfully invest in affordable housing. It further shifts federal SNAP costs onto local governments least able to absorb them.

And it does all of this while cutting hundreds of positions at the Department of Health and Human Services — the very agency responsible for implementing new federal Medicaid work reporting requirements that could cost hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians their health coverage.

The people of North Carolina deserved better. The NC Justice Center remains committed to standing with the communities most impacted by these decisions and fighting for policies and investments that put people first.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: Nicole Dozier, Director of Advocacy and Engagement, nicole@ncjustice.org