RALEIGH – Republican leaders announced last week that instead of working through the normal legislative channels, including offering the minority party chance for input and allowing opportunities for amendments, they are ramming through their budget in a conference report with no Democratic input, no chance for amendments, and no opportunity to clean up any mistakes or hear from the public.
The reasons for this move are crystal clear – Republicans are terrified of facing voters this fall and they’re terrified of taking votes on proposals for better teacher pay and tax fairness. They even say so themselves:
“I wouldn’t doubt the desire by the corner offices to get us in and out of here pretty quickly. Pretty much everyone has an opponent in the fall. You can’t campaign while you’re in session.” – Rep. Craig Horn
“There’s clearly an effort to avoid contentious issues” – Rep. Chuck McGrady
Tens of thousands of people are marching in the streets to protest Republicans’ backwards policies that rig the system in favor of corporations and wealthy campaign donors over teachers and our middle class. People are fired up, paying attention, and ready to vote them out of office.
Republicans know this, and they know they’re on the wrong side of their constituents. Instead of facing down votes on popular policies like teacher pay and a tax code that focused on public schools not corporate bottom lines, Republicans are shutting down debate and ducking any accountability to the people.
“Republican leaders are ramming through a $24 billion budget with no Democratic input or amendments because they’re terrified of facing voters this fall and are scared to take votes on popular policies like better teacher pay,” NCDP spokesman Robert Howard said. “This is the latest Republican effort to rig the system in favor of corporations and wealthy campaign donors instead of teachers, students and working families and shows how far Republicans will go to escape accountability from the people.”
